THE SAILOR'S LOT

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 619, 23 September 1909, Page 8

THE SAILOR'S LOT

;.;, v :,. /'.TWO PICTTJEES. V -".', ]~; ,'. (Bir'ToloErapli.-epoelol bofru'Dandant.l.' : : \; •■'.-■'' •■''.. ■:.'' Auckland, September 2JJ. " At Wellington on Saturday evening the Hon. J. A. Millar, Minister for Marine, amongst other remarks on the sailor's lot,' made the following statement:—"The'-man who goes-to sea to-day lias, now comforts thatywero unknown a few. years ago, and every credit is due to those'who have striven to .'make the life of; the. sailor moro comfortable, than; ,it has , been in;thopast.'" ' - ' _• ■Several seanleu-at present in port when seen by a -'Herald" 'represeutntive adversely comiuonted on this.'• *, • ■ . , . '~"1 have noiv been at sea for twenty-three years," said one nian, "and iiv- many, respects the conditions in New Zealand shipping are a great deal worse than when I'first went before the mast. The food we'get is plentiful, but it is badly cooked, and we are forced to eat u in our sleeping 'quarters; where one,-has hardly room to turn round: In the newest boats, however, ,wo have,' separato apartments for fand sleeping,, If I had myy.time again. I. wt.. have. 6tuck ; to the sailers.:. In those boats one, 'only.got .£3,105. a month as against: the £i ■■ ■ month on; the steamers in tl\e New Zealand trade, but then one was-'a long time at sea and one had constant and regular employment. Since February last I havo only had one monthV employment,'and I have, a wife and family,to keep. .There;are many foreigners in the-Now, Zealand mercantile marine, and p'ro J forence is ';given to thera,'of whom there,is a large percentage." ' •!■ -Other seamen,seen made similar remarks, and. it was stated .that at present there were no 'feif'er'than some 150. seamen out of employment in Auckland alone.' A gentleman, well known in tho shipping world, however,' had'a'.very.different tale-to tell. The men's conditions had: been improved out of sight, said he, and their interests studied. There was always constant employment for'reliable men,'who had no fear of getting out'of employment Furthermore, a'man like the: Hon. J. A. Millar, who in many years at sea, ought to be qualified to state whether things had improved. The charge as-to preforenco being given to for-ei»riei-9 was not true. '.Britishers wore given preference on New Zealand vessols. , This 'chares-had beon mndo beforo, and-had been tonvnlotely disproved. The shipping.companios had produced tho lists of men employed' by them which showed that foreigners fonnedbut a small' proportion of tho" Now Zealand, mercantile marine.