THE SEAMEN AND STRIKE PAY.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14841, 5 December 1913, Page 8

THE SEAMEN AND STRIKE PAY.

(PRESS ASSOCIATION' T__XG___.)

DUNEDIN, December 4. The Kaiapoi arriyed from Wellington, this morning with 1503 tons of cargo:

The strength of the arbitration union this morning was 179, of whom 48 were working on tho Kaiapoi, 60 on the Waitomo, 25 on the Turakina, 22 on th© Dorset, and 24 on the Mimiro.

The Waitomo is expected to sail tomorrow evening for Oamaru, Timaru, and Auckland, and tho Mimiro for Brisbane.

Relief pay is now being distributed amongst the members of, the Dunedin branch of the Seamen's Union, the amount totalling, it is said, £100 per week. It is also said that at the meeting of the Dunedin seamen on Wednesday, the vote as to whether a secret ballot should be taken on tho question of the men returning to work, was materially affected by the information supplied by Mr Mackie, one of the .uckland delegates, that £1000 had been voted by the Australian seamen towards relief pay to seamen in New Zealand. • . . Absolutely no work is going on at Port Chalmers, and there is every probability of a large share of employment being permanently removed from At a mass meeting a resolution was carried urging the Government to 6eo that the strike leaders are released on bail. ■-•■. _■ ■ The Printers' Union passed a resolution protesting against the action of the employers in menacing workers freedom by endeavouring to force th© waterside workers to register under the Arbitration Act. . Some forty of the old waterside workers cheered the crew of the Victoria as she left the wharf. It is understood that the crew were so honoured, because they took every opportunity while her© to jeer at Arbitrationists.