A BARQUE’S TROUBLES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 3, 19 August 1911, Page 8

A BARQUE’S TROUBLES.

DESERT IN G SEAMEN. At the meeting of , the Harbour Board yesterday a letter was read from Captain i Pettersen, master of the barque Margit, which recently discharged a Home cargo at the port, who wrote as follows -“On behalf of my owners, 1 bog to ask you whether you can sec your way to make some refund of the amount paid to you for charges against my vessel. Your account amounted to £239, and, whilst j I do not in any way make any objection to the rates (although they aro ' a good deal higher than I have been accustomed to pay at other ports to which I have traded in other countries) I venture to make the request I owing to the peculiar circumstances of ’my case. As you are probably aware, ; several of my crew deserted, but I j obtained fresh men and had arranged | to go out to an anchorage on the morning of Saturday, 29th ult., there to complete certain repairs (which would have taken about If days, and j which could have been done as well j outside as at the wharf) and then to j sail with the first favourable wind, j The whole of ray crew, however, reI fused to go out, on the grounds that , the repairs should be finished alongside the wharf, and that there was no safe anchorage outside. Not wishing to lose a second crew, I was compelled to agree to their demand, and consequently I had to remain alongside until August 3, and to pay some £l7 more than necessary, owing to tiio action of ray men. Probably you may say tiiis is no fault of yours, which I admit, but in view of the largo sum paid by mo to your Board I ask your favourable consideration of some' rebate, seeing the position I was placed in. 1 desire to say 1 was most agreeably surprised at the depth of water at the wharf, and the facilities for berthing and discharging. I wish to thank Capt. Newman and Mr Henderson for the assistance they so willingly gave me at all times. Before concluding, 1 should like to mention that I do not think it will add to the popularity of your port with owners and masters if your Board gives employment to men who desert from ships calling here, as was done, I believe, in the case of a previous vessel. I beg you will not think that I am for a moment attempting to toll you how to run your harbour, but I feel very strongly on this point, and not, I am sorry to say, without reason.” The Chairman said ho could not recommend any concession being granted. The Board had really lost money by earning that extra £l7, for it meant that the dredge was kept the longer away from the dredging work which the Board required her to do. Do didn’t, think the Board could ho blamed for the desertion of seamen, nor wore they to blame in employing a good workman even if be wore a deserter Irani a shin at the port. The superintendent bad practically a free band in engaging workmen, and the chairman understood this ex-Yiganclla man was a splendid workman. He bad made enquiries concerning port charges, and found that the charges here compared very favourably with those levied at other [daces. On the motion of Messrs Wilkinson and jVicClnggago, the Board passed a rer.olirlion regretting ’its inability to make the concession asked. for chronic chest, complaints, Woods' Great Popper: rut C”re. la (Jd, 2s Od.*