“BOLSHEVIK IDEA”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17030, 2 May 1923, Page 8

“BOLSHEVIK IDEA”

DISGRACEFUL WHARF SCENE. TWENTY-ONE FIREMEN FINED. Twenty-one members or the stokehold crow of the liner Dorset were each fined £6 at the Lyttelton Magistrate’s Court to-day by Messrs W. T. Lester, and F. G. Norton, J.P., tor com- •* billing to impede the progress of the voyage of the ship. Three of the men were also fined Us Bd, one day’s pay, aud costs, for being absent without leave. The men were arrested last night after what was described as the worst demonstration seen in Lyttelton for years. A witness said fuat the men most of whom were in a drunken condition, were brawling and singing on the wharf. I he master of the vessel, Captain S. Somers-Vine, said that the rerusal of the men to undertake duty was the result of a drunken Bolshevik idea He also said that the whole affair was of a most serious nature, because he had to go round the world in charge of many lives. The whole responsibility vas his, and if anything went wrong the men came first to him. Yet when things were all well, thev refused to obey a lawful order - iven bv him. The names of the men charged with impeding the progress of the voyage David Whitman. John Daniels. John William Potter. Gerald Heapliy. Henry Richards. George Webb. Samuel Taggart. Herbert Richard Rees. Henry Sims. Samuel Alfred Arnes. Albert John Watson. David Lowe. Joseph Charles Moore. Reginald Batter bury. Frank Carter. Joseph Sweetingham. A'oah Lee. Arthur Fisher. Charles Kellj*. On the application of the captain, the charges against MGuire, Daniel and Rooney were withdrawn. The captain said that they had had sufficient moral courage to go on board and help to get the vessel out into the stream. The men charged with being absent without leave were Goodfellmv, and Kelly. All the men pleaded guilty to the charges preferred against them. The captain said that yesterday he put a notice up at 8 o’clock in the morning that the Dorset would sail for Napier at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. About that time one of the stoke-hold crew came up to him and said that there were some firemen short and the crew would not sail with the number incomplete. That man was Lowe, and it was he who made tile shot for the other men to fire. Most of the men were too drunk to take much notice. He went down on the wharf and made an effort to persuade them to come on board. He asked them to come on board and get steam enough up to get the ship out into an anchorage, and gave them his word that the other men would then be brought on board. Thev refused to take any notice of this. About 5 o’clock he gave them final notice, and then hoisted the gangway. H is a serious business” he said. “I have lost twenty-four hours and will probably be delayed a week, as I have lost my berth in a very congested port. All this is a great expense to the ship.” A number of men availed themselves of their opportunity to question the captain, but most of* the questions put were disallowed by the Bench because they were not admissible. The second engineer said that the men were given every opportunity to board the ship, but they refused. Lee said he and his comrades were standing on the wharf and could not board the ship. The gangway was up. and one man attempted to let it down, but he was stopped by the engineer. The captain: I take all the responsibity for that. The men were given their final chance.

Another of the accused said that had the captain used tact all would have been well. Heaphy said that he had gone down to the ship on time, and found that there were men short, so finding “nothing doing ” he went ashore. He and the others did not want to do extra work, and four hours at a time was as much as any man yof them could stand at the fires. The captain: I assured you I only wanted to get the Dorset to an anchorYVitness: I never heard you do that. The captain : A number of men were too drunk. Witness: I was not drunk. The captain: Oh no. I never said you were. Another of the men said that they refused duty with a short crew. ft meant extra work and they were not going to do it. A similar position had arisen at Bombay and they took the ship to an anchorage, but no extra hands wei*e got, and they worked double time from there to the next port. The captain had promised on his word cf honour to get natives for the hold, hut ho had not' done so. He and the others were determined t-het they - would not be bitten again. Joseph Garrard, agent for Kinsey and Co., said he and Captain Saunders Vine and the harbourmaster discussed the matter on the ship and he heard the master tell the men to come on hoard. The scene on the wharf was a disgraceful one. The drunken men were fighting and singing. Some were lying on the wharf and wore far too drunk to care whether they sailed or not. In inflicting the fines the Bench remarked that it- was too serious a matter to let pas?s.