A SHIPPING CASE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 694, 20 December 1909, Page 8

A SHIPPING CASE.

THE WAITEMATA EPISODE

FINDING AGAINST THE UNION CO. v v- Tho Waitcraata case, which lias achieved colebrity. in shipping circles, camo bcforo v: <us \Honour -Mrj • Justice turn m< tlio Supremo Court, '.jChristchuich,: on Friday, says the was in tho form of a WHi.claim by David Lindsay • Maxwoll,-. abl? seamaa, sthe ;linioh■ SteamV.Shij\' (Xinpany, : for 1 ' .C 25 wages Mr. Stringer, K.G, with him Mr. Johnston, appeared for tho plaintiff, and Mr. ;v Beswick appeared for .tho defendants. ■ vise" ;';lni,opening: tho cast 1 ,-Jliv. Stringer, said that ithis: was claim:for wrongful dismissal. Only ■>)«;; a -comparatively i6mall sum was involved, , but .tho iights''jot r 'a'considerable - . .a- jiumber .ot, mon, iand- also raised questions of K.iimporfanco with-, regard to:,the: .construction of certain articles of agreement and the award" §g\;:toeht!;of;;facts'-■hadvbeen'-'i'apded'V'u.pon; 'itn was ia - question - of. construction'.' ' The - and : other ft seamen. /, shipped . on : the Waitomiita,^-signing'.-,on .- under - -what was kilown as a running agreement. Tho arh- -itfacles, set out that the -plamtift shipped "on a voyage from Ly ttelton .to any port or ports |^ ; r:,in : iiM&.;Austr!Jasiah:'cplonies : or;:.island or ..is-.'! , . ilands. m tho North .or .South Pacific Ocean, trading;' to,-and fro, in any -succession.' of., voy r fotv a .''.term; of ,'servico;. not itx - . calendar months, or until first arrival at tho -. port . of Lyttelton after expiry of' that term;" .Tho. Waitemata coinmonccd hor voyage, and, calling,; at. scveral. ports, : arrived in Dun- ....- edra, sailing thonco; for. Newcastle.■'- The plain>v, :-.tiff signed, on m May, and -tho. steamer arrived . : ;dn-.Newcastlo on September 18. On September :. 20 the mastcr nt lho ship terminated the plaml^;V<^.' c P!W®enfrby giving .24'. 'hours'- notice,. but objected. oeptember..;23 theplain tiff; and; ptiiers were .. st-deved off tho ship, and they accordingly left • nrovided thom with passages, l to -'New.-' Zealand.y;Tho~- articles 1.-iV:? :«>ntained : the ..following , olaufa:—"Tho Now Zealand Arbitration Court awards in respect to tv.-.-.-ieeaniun. for the time:beuiq-'in:force-shall -bo c-; .doomed to form part of this agreement wherever they apply," seamen-having entered : • into .this, contraot: started on ' their voyago- - Fromv". Newcastle, itho ship ■ intended. going to '• •Jfenila, which -was .an island in tho;'North pirti; iPacifio, and,.withm the ; limits of the articles. Vy-; :,At-'Newcastlo thoy wore-: practically , turned ofr :i !-i:,tho :filup. , The . contention for: the company : pwas that, it- had-a right to determine the .con-. J®.-.ttraot-, at any port,j.even- outside New Zealand, while- the ; of the men ; was?- that' tf'ig-tbeir, determined, in New-•te-M,'-Zealand.';. The - award: practically adopted tho i •vjew taken by tho . men,,- and . counsel submit.tod .that- tho only; possiblo construction of - snbpotions (f) and (g).'in' ClaU£o 42of;tho Shipping and .' Seamen. Act - was that. the ..contracts 'w.--.?Hwro to. be determined in■; a New: Zealand port, a -seemed -impossible' to suppose; that it -was 'Contemplated by the parties that a man'could «i:ibe .discharged in : Manila, where he might be 'getting; iO fiack' to' New Zealand. :that"'';the.':;sprvice ifst' fteald determined> at • «my. .fame on the com- • -plction' of i-.a -voyage by giving : the necessary vr notice. : .There was a-limit beyond .which-they not go; :;It .was open.- to the company, to; p) : f^riiiihatethe ; Vengagement. \ at ~ahy: : ' Australian; ■V-;:;; fport, provided a freo return was given to New v W 'Sjealand.. Tho contract , did not imply a'round .'trip,' and tho men need not necessarily bo i>;;.j.discharged;■ in - New,-Zealand. •.The award - contemplated thiit - the. he; discharged at other places ' than -tho. Dominion, the men .should -be returned f -to,their port by rail if tho employers so de- !' Jjeiredv STnerci; wai;, practically .no ;;di£Eerence in: J!fe,theTcase,vof ;the.imen .coming .backVinthe'.'Wai;. "•rV Vtemata, v ori in ' another , steamer. Tliey were ft-;'"-getting: tkair freo voyage whon they ; came back ::A'-l3i another"steamer. . ...... "i'-'.-'i.'", -Mr;'. Stringer: 'They get no-, wages.' • • ' fcif;S; ; Mr They are not working. That |:j. one ' of the risks'.thoy .run. . ' ':;! : 61 -Mr.' Stringer: said'; Mr.- Beswiek; had. vfaetfthat'the;'men ; -might,;be dis'--on any one of, the .islands m -tho North. [.: • /Taciflc. They might earn ;a ■: month's., wages,; ;.aiid then take two months to get back.: Tho ®en might; also.,leave; the ship-at one of theso ,idnndsy and cause it: to bo laid up ; thero in- r ' i Counsel''contended that, tho !Act , .contemplated, only: discharge in Now . Zealand; :fe^27[S ,, ' i Pr^?jAssociafa6n.r^ines3a^;Vst , afe.'' : ';that; 'his Honour .gave judgment for plaintiff in tho Waitemata shipping case.:;. . Leavo .to appeal ■ -was..'granted,-viand ■ tho -question'-.of costs was i reserved ] t t j -. V:" I'-'.V, PROVINCIAL CENTRES.

| (From Oar Spcclil Corrcsjonilonts.l .: £ PAHIATUA. ! , Hies Alaiion, ol tho teaching staff-of tho • k.»peJuabn; District• -High, bohool, has-been ap-of;''-tKe>;Pohatah'iv'School, I in the Wairaraps 'Tho .local,tennis courts are'now in excellent • .• wis ,v{( anticipated in the annual tournament which' on' New Year's;'Day.■■-/■'.■. : / Miss 'F. - Stonuont,.•• of tho Pahiatua . District i- vvf.ffiigh. School, was : successful ■ in; passing the j, >:jtrtradwork examination s. recently f held ■ at. MasJ.ifi. The: ißiock . sales to; bo hold here ito-morrow :K,.>.{(rill: be':the ;last sales this'year. . Snbscnbors to the. circulating branch of the ,& JSPahiatna Public Library should noto that, the Vsr*.<isW>rijly •.•\nll.t bo closed Irom Friday,- December V, 'until Jamiarj 3, both days inclusive M. Many are, the '.complaints , heard; daily / about ®s^,tho.incoitToniences.causcd by tho recent altera-. ! .'' : r(-others, wisliing to attend- tlio Dannevirko . and jyk tPalmerston North stock sales, are 'now. unable r !.i njto d 0,50.'.; The.Becretury ot ■ the Ballance Dairy S??Pf™y estates';.that.under ■..pteent." arrange- ; , - tments it i> feared that, tho .butter railed away ► suffer ' .considerably : in V tho/ hot .weather, tp the.long wait .tliat intervenes .between (the fact,' almost every class ofbusiness here 1 has 'a * . i.fEPnuitie complaint, to mako; ; and the time-tablo-i ,y' 4Uoes not in; any way'seem satisfactory.. :; ■■ r ' l.v lu 'G.thei. 'centres,. it., has., been noticed that ftfM® r -V prcss'ura' las:'be«rt 11 fJotv of Jatc. 'Ihe Pahiatua Borough overseer ': i y..^ e PPrts,. tbat '.tho "lowesfc ''pressuro so far this .' '.■^.f^ui^Pr ...was 5-;, this boiny .ten : points below Itiio lowest record of last \ear. A glanco at ter!'-W- gauge: tho . other -day showed G9, faotwitbstanding tho fact that there wero • il evora leakages: m 'tho wator-pipo. service between tho reservoir and tho borough Tho borough workmen are now dealing with the , (paW. and new washers, are to bo fitted ' to tho hro plugs in tho town It will bo thus , £&3ii that Pa!iiafaa lias an • abundant ■: water supply, - °4 , St Paul's Presbyterian ,5; i,[vhnrcli last February to give, prizes to •tt^'i' c P'r., r 2S rfwho.Sattended. :tlio morning': services Jintil December 12„ and who did not miss more ,v.; ; .'.tlian . flvo Sundays, illness to be takbn into ..account, Four childrtn-Cissie East, Linda : , laedcole, Arthur Ba\ter, and Geoige Purvis, attended every service, m all 45 Sundays Others \'.y. .missingmore. than . five Sundays were [- "i™ 0 B Kathleen lloyd, Annio Crerar, May ■Crcrar, Elsio ralloon, Sjlvia Fnlloon, Nora Braa Simth, Adeline Thurlow, Mauricc Vu° n x°, vd ', J oha Baxter,'Ee J ! i, oS , V"lllia Hawkins, Eugbv Hnwkinq | iirnebt 'Godfrey, Henry Godfrey, and Willie ' i EedcoJo...- These -have.- accordingly received t '■? »!f CS i! gln? P? results, tho idea seems to f ""51® teen an admirable one. f , h tf C ° n t,tm of , Mr ' Keeso, who at 1 mfnl ,-e / n ™ m^ p of , the Pahiatua Hos- ;' auang considerable F' GREYTOWN^

°^ n S th e continued , the Jong grass.in/thsj'vicinity 'of 7 t S r « OTp t c , r on bnrning it;-. fe^^^ 'h® flain eS : :took a secbnd lease t" wJ.'fc''„'®* 4 "''**?&• to :Mr;- Cooper's irharo, j >: j,-j which ..was completely destroyed; ■■. > . ■ . ..' [ ■ OTAKI.

\ TT At 1 Court on Saturday, before S;.[ : Messrs. itoilo ana-Jones, J.P.'s, / a youth named Cpo^es-iWfia.fined'2?.';:and costs Vs., for driyf:.-. \in j? at.night, without lights.. - p.. u'Jk,;; I: .Tho tender of :Mrs. Kobinson for tho'uupplv t, of bread to tho Otaki Sanatorium and Hospjtar has? been aceopted, but consideration of I;other i.tcndors luw. been held; over.' ,; ■>: M;. Uartlomaii, of- tho .local Bank■:■■■ of p.-.:''..^Australasia,,'.'left. Otaki' on > Friday on holij day leave, his place taken pro tern j •. by Mr. 'Bakor, of,. Palmerston North- . A lad • named — lunp, while •. playing in a h " pit .at Waikazraeon .Thursday, cut his foot pws severely •on vbrokon glass, v the inj ury necessitatk;. ing tho attendance of Dr.Portor, of Otaki " . fow.'. Tho annual school concert at Waikanao took h~:place on Thursday evening, and/was- well at!i v, .londod: On I'riday eyeninsr -the Otaki State f v» ; School held .a similar function, when tho -at>p ;. teridanco wae-large.' ;v/ v