TROUBLE ON CRUISER.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 227, 25 September 1928, Page 9

TROUBLE ON CRUISER.

NEARLY A MUTINY.

ON BOARD H.M.A.S. BRISBANE.

STOKER SENTENCED TO GAOL. (From Oar Own Corresn—dent.) SYDNEY, September 20. Conditions on the Australian cruiser Brisbane, during her voyage to Suva and Hawaii for the Cook Centenary celebrations recently, were brought before the public eye when the ship reached Sydney on Tuesday last. It was announced then that a stoker named Molineaux had been tried during the voyage, for writing verees relative to life on board and had been sentenced to three months' gaol at Long Bay Penitentiary. Members of the crew of the Brisbane state that the voyage to Honululu will long be remembered by the stokehold gang as being the worst voyage that they could ever recall. The crew said that when the Brisbane arrived at Suva, a newspaper there stated that the vessel looked dreadful compared with the spick and span appearance of the New Zealand warship, the Dunedin. The captain took the criticism U heart, for during the voyage to Honululu paint was "slapped" on the ship and th« crew were forced to work many hour; a day on the arduous task. When th< vessel reached Honululu, none of th< crew was allowed to leave the ship anc obtained only a porthole view of th town. Complaints regarding the food wer made to the captain of the ship withou success and the crew were becomin; incensed. Petty punishments for smal offences were given by the officers an< many members of the crew were put oj fatigue duties for many hours at i stretch. So serious did matters become at on stage that the men were seriously talk ing of mutinying and leaving the shi at Honululu or Suva. The few members of the crew wh were allowed ashore at Honululu wer treated roughly by the American polia who, it is alleged, used their heav batons freely and two Australians ha to be carried on to the ship after bein dealt with by the American police. Bot these men were hit on the head and bod with the batons and had bruises an bumps on them for days afterward*.

Finally the stokehold men asked one of their members, who was known to have a bent for writing verse, to compose something to express their sentiments. The sailor-poet did so and officers found the following verse pinned to a loaf of stale bread which was decorated with a piece of red bunting: Rock of Ages, Cleft for me. This is some poor stoker's tea. This was placed in a prominent place on the ship and was found by an officer who reported it to the captain. Five days out from Newcastle, the author of the verse, who had been discovered, was sentenced to three months' imprisonment in Long Bay gaol. His pay was stopped as was also hi* allowances to his wife and two children. The cruiser Brisbane has been always a ship of dissatisfaction since her commission in 1919.