WORK IN FULL SWING.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14833, 26 November 1913, Page 10

WORK IN FULL SWING.

SEVEN SHIPS DISCHARGING.

NEW UNIONISTS WORK WELL.

Lyttelton was a hew port yesterday, and ; the scene on the waterfront presented a strong contrast to that of the past four- weeks. The only arrival from an outside port was the big intercolonial liner Maunganui, which is being employed in the ferry service. She arrived in port about 8.30 a.m., and berthed at the east side of No. 2 wharf. The Maunganui landed 240 passengers with their baggage and the Northern mails. Although it was reported that the eteamer had about 300 .ton's of cargo in her holds, the big ship lay idle all day. The vessel, .TFhich sailed last night for Wellington, will make one more trip in the ferry servce, and will sail from Lyttelton on Thursday for Sydney via Wellington. THE MAUNGANUTS CREW.. Although the port was open and work was in full swing, no attempt was made to ship any cargo in the Maunganui. It is stated thai the reason was that the steamer's firemen are a somewhat doubtful quantity at present, and will probably give in their notices to leave if any cargo is worked. Hitherto the crew of the Maunganui have been exceptionally, firm. They signed articles in Sydney. and. are reported to be unwilling to take any step in the direc- \ tion of leaving the ship in New ZeaI land waters, but they are now affected ! to some extent by the general unrest ! in maritime circles. - " A well-known Cheviot farmer who i had come down from Wellington in the I Maunganui yesterday morning had loud j complaint to make regarding the action of firemen on that vessel. The farmer had endeavoured to bring some- horses and a couple of trotting sulkies down with him from Wellington, and all had been got on board the ooat. Suddenly the firemen made an announcement that, unless the sulkies were put off the vessel; they would refuse to turn to, and in spite of all persuasions they stuck to their guns, and off the sulkies had to go. The reason for the ' firemen's action was that they regarded i tho sulkies as "cargo/ , though the same sulkies had been shipped up to Wellington and handled there in the heart of the strike. RIMUTAKA STARTS DISCHARGING. In addition to. the Maunganui, two other steamers came in during the morning and berthed at the wharves. The first was th* New Zealand Shipping

Company's big liner Rimutaka, which arrived in the stream on Sunday from London, via. and Wellington. The Rimutaka, -which was much delayed at Wellington by the strike, has 1700 tons of cargo to discharge at Lyttelton. ' She is in fairly deep trim, having ehioped a large quantity of produce at Wellington for London. The Rimnlakaj which is . now behind schedule time, -will complete discharging at .Lyttelton, and will load a large quantity of wool, dairy prodnce, and other cargo for London. XEW UNION WORKERS START. To.the Rimutaka fell the distinction of being the first ship on which members of the new Arbitration Waterside Workers' Union were employed in Lyttelton. It had been decided to employ the vessel's crew to work the cargo, but a number of new unionists were available, and were engaged. PROMISING WATERSIDE WORKERS. At 10.30 a.m. the Rimutaka started unloading, the seamen and arbitrationists working well together on board, and permanent railway men receiving the cargo in the,, trucks. The new men showed marked aptitude for the work, and required very little coaching. What they lacked in skill was more than balanced by their willingness. All were genuine working men, and not bogus workers as had been alleged by strike agitators. The members of the crew drove the winches, and the heavy 6lings of cargo were swung up from the holds at a great rate, truck after truck being rapidly filled. Everything went so well, that extra gangs were started after lunch, and a number of railway casual wharf labourers were engaged to work in the trucks. RIMUTAKA WORKS OVERTIME. At five o'clock, when the new unionists ceased work for the day, over 300 tons of cargo had been landed in 5£ working hours, a very creditable performance. Mr W. Putman, head stevedore for the New Zealand Shipping Company, informed a "Press" reporter that he was very pleased with the new men, who had done exceedingly well, and had showed themselves very willing workers. The cargo hooks had not been idle since the start. The Rimutaka worked overtime until ten o'clock last night with her own crew, who are doing good service. Discharging operations are.being hurried, as the ship is behind her schedule time. THE DORSET DISCHARGING. The only other oversea! liner in the port was the Federal-Shire steamer Dorset, which resumed discharging operations at eight o'clock yesterday morning. This steamer's cargo, which is being worked out by her own crew, consists of general merchandise and iron and steel work from Glasgow, Liverpool, and Avonmouth. The Dorset was working fonr gangs of men yesterday, and at the present.rate of discharge she will be ready to leave'for Dunedin on Friday. The steamer was being coaled by her engineers and firemen from the Blackball Coal Company's hulk Wai-iti. BREEZE LOADING LOCOMOTIVES. The Canterbury Steam Shipping CompanyV steamer Breeze, which had been lying in the stream for some days, berthed at the Gladstone pier crane during the morning, and engaged a number of the new unionists to assist in the shipping of the parts of a large locomotive. The steamer will complete loading this morning, and after engaging a crew will leave for Wellington. KINI DISCHARGING TIMBER. The Union Company's steamer Kini, which arrived in Lyttelton orf October 30th, the day on which the local strike was called, and which was the first steamer to be laid up locally, was berthed yesterday at No. 4 wharf. She started work at 1.30 p.m. discharging timber from three hatches.' The company's permanent men drove the winches, while members of the new union made up the slings of timber, which were received in the trucks by railway casual wharf labourers; ..' The new men' showed themselves to be keen and intelligent workers, who quickly adapted themselves to the slinging of timber. A, good discharge was maintained until 5 p.m., by which time about 40,000 feet had been put out. OPOURI MAKES A START. The timber-laden . steamer Opouri made a start yesterday afternoon to discharge. A number of the new men were engaged, and two of them proved to be good winchmen. The officers of the ship worked with the unionists, and by 4 p.m.; the whole of the deck load had been discharged, and a start made in both holds. , CANOPUS DISCHARGING COAL. The Westport Coal Company's steamer Canopus, which started- with one gang of new unionists at 1 p.m., was the only collier discharging in the port.' The company's-permanent men were driving the winches, and the baskets of coal ' were being filled and 'Tiooked on" by the aThitrationists, and tipped in the trucks by railway men. The Canopus discharged up till 5 p.m., good work being done in the forward hatch. " PENINSULA TRADE RE-OPENED. After being blocked, for nearly' a month, the shipping service to.Akaroa and Banks Peninsula was re-started yesterday. The little steamer Cygnet, which had lain idle for 27 days, was recommissioned with a crew of men from Akaroa. The steamer berthed at No. 2 wharf, and after loading what cargo was offering, with her new crew, went alongside the Blackball Coal Company's hulk to take in bunker supplies'. The Cygnet started in the afternoon for Akaroa and the Bays, where she will ship a full load of cheese. She is due back this afternoon, and will sail on Thursday night for Kaikoura, where she will load a full cargo of wool for Lyttelton. J . WORK IN WOOL STORES. After a long-sspell of idleness work was resumed in the New Zealand Ship-, ping Company's big wool store at West Lyttelton yesterday. Wool was unloaded into the shed by a number of new unionists, and from now on work will increase rapidly in the stores as a great deal of wool is expected to arrive tor shipment. SCHOONERS START W T ORK TO-DAY. Apart from the Maunganui and the Karamu, the only idle ships at the wharves yesterday were the timberladen schooners. The whole of the locally-owned fleet is in port, the ve&"■sels being Eunice, Annie Hill, Lily, Aratapu, Eliza Firth, and . Morning; Light, which have, between them,' about 300,000 feet of to land. The work of discharging the schooners •will be started this morning. FOUR STEAMEJIS IN STREAM. The re-opening of the port has reduced the number of steamers laid up in the stream to four, namely—Kaitaii.gata, Kowhai, Flora, and.Petone. The three first-named are loaded with coal for the Union . Company, and the Petone, which is owned by the Canterbury Steam Shipping Company, will doubtless bo started coon. All four ships will be brought in from the stream and started to work this week. PROSPECTIVE ARRIVALS. The Shaw, Savill and -Albion liner Corinthic, from London via Wellington, will probably arrive to-morrow xo complete discharging. .The New Zealand Shipping Company's steamer Re~ muera, from London, and the Tyser line steamer Mimiro from New York, are also due this week. The Marere, another Tyser liner, is expected to arrive within the next two or three days. The Arawa from London, the Tokomara from Montreal, the Sturmfels from New York, and the Hercules froth I Bunbury., are due next week. The Waitemata with 7500 tons of coal from Newcastle is due at Lyttelton to-nyjr-row. ~ A BARRICADE. A gate is to be erected to-day at the

main entrance leading to the railway station and the wharves. COMMISSIONER CUIiIJEN- , Commissioner Cullen who had arrived from Wellington by the Maunganui in tho morning, returned to the- capital in the evening by the same eteamer.

The warship Psyche returned to Wellington yesterday aftecnoon- -J-" 6 Pyramus is expected at Lyttelton today.