"WE WANT OUR MONEY."

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 147, 14 August 1911, Page 2

"WE WANT OUR MONEY."

UN THE WAIIUWA. Tlii'!.' was trouble on board tiie J uioii f,’on!;,'ally 's collier Wairuna ’■ w iicu .-•In- arrived at .Newcastle from \ mi August I. The crew con•.itieic.t chey were entitled to tlioir Ithen, as is customary on the lirst Ibe i.nmii., but no money being forthcoming, they decided to ‘‘down tools * teat night. The stoiy is carried on by a member of tiie crew, who in a* letter -to a friend in Auckland, writes;—“A little alter a message came from the captain f. Bring that the sailors were wanted ait. Kicht, oh; aft we went, to be greeted by tne master saying, ‘UTiat do yon want herer’ We ie-1 plied, ‘Ton sent for us.’ The .captain said, ‘No, I don’t want you.’ So, of course, we all trooped out of the cabin, meeting in the passage our chief officer, who asked if .»o were refusing duty. AYe said ‘No (with one exception); we want our mercy.’ At eigiit o’clock the following morning no one came to turn flic sailers to, but the engineer came after the dromon. They then joined m, and struck work. At ten o’clock wc were all called aft before the master, and asked whether we would tom to. We never said that we refused duty, out let him understand that we would work as soon as he paid up. By 1.80 p.m. we all bad our money, and the trouble ended so far as the money was concerned. Not a word was sain about our going on strike. But now the real tumble commenced. r l lie secretary, Mr Walsh, had apparently found a Haw in the articles, the same being up on July 9, and bo made the men understand that anyone ,so desirous could claim his discharge at Newcastle. Five of the sailors decided to finish up, and packed their gear and logs, and gave the mate tut ir notice, which was, of course, not accepted. Three of them went ashore —-two worked out the day and shifted ship during the night,‘hut left at 8 a.m. next. day. The • manager advised the captain to pay the men off and sign on fresh hands, which the captain declined to do. Things came to a deadlock. Three fresh sailors were engaged to work by during the day, anti two of them were induced to sign on tiie old articles, but Us soon as that got known the click came and took them ashore. Our old crowd still being on the articles, there was quite a crowd on the wharf. The captain tried to get the five oi the Wairuna’s crew on the wharf arrested, but the police would not interfere. So what does he dof He gets the remainder of our hands (four) to cast off the lines, saying he would go to an anchorage in the stream till such time as lie could obtain a full complement of men. Getting clear of too breakwater, he let go the tug and rang up full speed ahead. When

wo were about four or iivo miles off our men started to ask themselves whore were we oil' to, and on asking found that the good ship Wairuna was bound for Lyttelton, New Zealand, if you please—short of live A.B.’s, second cook, and two stewards, the ship’s complement being tea A.B.’s and one ordinary seamair The sailors (that is what ’ was left) on learning this, headed aft, and told the skipper that if he persisted in going they were finished' (the third officer being at the wheel). Immediately alter this the firemen came up out of the stokehold, and there was an end to it. The'good ship Wairuna had perforce to turn round and head hack to Newcastle, and at the present moment (August dj she is snugly at anchor just outside the breakwater. I may add that there has not been a single case of drunkenness on board.”

Li a later cornmunicatioiL the writer says:—“l ire launch is alongside with a fresh crowd ol' eight men, who have had to be paid £io and a- passage back for the run to New Zealand. The old crew iutve been paid o If, with j Hying colours and good discharges. The shipping master told tiro captain that there is no contract. The old articles were worth nothing here.” The Wairuna arrived at Lyttelton on Wednesday last.