THE P. & 0. LASCAR.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 931, 26 September 1910, Page 8

THE P. & 0. LASCAR.

SAILORS' GRIEVANCE. PROTEST AGAINST CHEAP LABOUR IN SYDNEY TRADE. PREMIER IN FULL SYMPATHY. Tho appearance of the big P. and 0. liners in Zealand waters has caused, 'much -concern among the members of tho Australian Federated Seamen's Union. The P. and. 0. vessels aro manned by : Lascar crews, paid. at low rates compared, with; what a white,sailor gets, and tho union fears :, that what it der scribes' 1 as the "blaclf invasion" may ultimately 'load,- to' the .displacing or .largo numbers of white seamen in-the inter-, colonial trade: unless; steps are taken to cope with the matter. • : On Satiirday a. deputation from the union: introduced by,-Mr." 0. H. Poole, M.P., waited on tho Prime Minister and,. Minister, of' MarineMillar),.- and iurged|'that cheap labour-; should ,be .excluded from 'the intercoloniar trade.. All vessels trading on . .the New... Zealand, coast have to pay. the New Zealand rates; of wages, and .Sir', Joseph caressed; himself in; favour of an arrangement with tlie Imporjal authorities: by which : vessels v,trading' between the Dominion - and : Australia and the 'neighbouring-; Pacific Islands .could -be made amenable-to, local legislation. ■ • Mr. Poole -said the union, recogniscd that r a':'senou's difficulty; was -likely ' to arise frorii - the unfair'competition of-,the; coloured crew's. ' :Tlie;deputation 'recog-' nised the; 'difficulty in the way v of: the Prime:'Mini'ster, in: ; the.'matter of'.,liriperial dictation in, this connectionV, - This '.was a'phase .of the' question, that would have'.to bo foiight out. . Unless some strong protest was entered against, tho shipping of coloured crows, many of the. privileges ; riow enjoyed- would : be destroyed. ;.-;'i;j'...' , . v ; What the Seamen Think. Mr. ■'ft'. T.. Young, secretary of the Seamen's Union'," 'said ■ the. country was face to face wfth a' bla;ck invasion. Sofar' ,as ; i the, intercolonial trade was concerned, it was the duty of ■the New/.Zealand' legislature;; to : passlegislation'to conserve tlio interests of ithe .men ; who ; ; hadbuilt; theV trade', up.; 'Section; serenty-fiye'.of ;the .Shipping and Seaineri's Act compelled . all; vessels em'ployed; in: the:.'coasta,l: tr.ade.of: New Zea-. land to pay tho wagos ruling in New Zealand. ; One suggested remedy was ,to":extend this-'i provision,''; so that it should apply to the.pinterco.ldriial' trade., '■'Another': waM ; that..the ; dpcal : ;'shipowner. should, be.; paid; a' subsidy •;which should be donved from a tax on all cargo, landed in New Zealand by an unfair corn.petitor! The seamen asked that legis-. lation should bo introduced this session, 'SO that ;i'^Section.7s' should'., be/extended to apply to; tlie irit-ercolonial trade; lb .was desired that the section should : apply; not;6nly ; to'Xascar ■ crews'liiit ;io i .;European':;'crews: The owners' of'' the Inga,: which recen% visited Newland,..were paying only £3 a month to ;their' A ; .B;!s;', against ': ; '£7, > i monthv. paid by 'the New. Zealand compaiiies.;; 'ilie objectiori vto;deldjirig; action; till;: after ' % the; nest ImperialiCoriference':'was : that .this l .'would!:mean.'..t]ie would.-bo ■in-abeyance' ifor.. at years,' and •before,that;time a■ huriiber'bf;white .sear• ;meiiiwould .probably bo. in','the>ranks. of, the ltavas-Jriipossible for steairiers; to;cbnipete''with' ,the P.- and. O. vessels so . long 'as they [oarried.Lascar crews.;,. .The.Marama,.as .wellas.the. other, engaged/in'thG; Vancouver .tfadej ' paid £9; a. ; month to; jfireme{?.;,arid; £7'>': month',,t6?'.''sai]o'rß.'.' ■Oh.; the/'Frisco.,; steairiers,': ;:when';;. -they were running,., tho wagos were, even higher—£lo a month: forvfiremen; and ;£B:for' A.8..'.5. , ;'.-;Th6.!wag'es.' ! paid:on.the'j P. . and 0. boats;-to.i tlio Lascars wero '165.,;-fo '£l;a'month 'with-a bag of 'rice;: ;to feed lthein'ori'.';' : gpme''of tho,:L'ascars; ijwefe.Lßritish.-subjects, (biit/'thatwasno, excuse . for. - dragpng ' tho European "dowri.to ;their;'.leyeli Rather./let;the. tas-' ;oar be raisedto -the vEuropean -level;' .From a return coriipiled- by tho Mel.bourne' "Ago" -;it .^appeared,-.;that .-the 'companies;employing,,Lascar;. labour .on; the- Australian coast,; had - received £G6,475 iii the; shape' of' passago money from 10,761 passengers carried between ports of the', Aiistralian Commonwealth. Once the P. and 0. Company got a footing in' New Zealaiidj the North .German, jwould; follow, and what would happen then to the - New.. Zealand, marine , The' ,'seameri; askedthat '.Parliament should ; .pass • legislatiori. to ".control- tho P. and ;0.. .Company ; , and-other'.. companies) ■ and lay it before tho Imperial*-authorities. .We would then, know exactly where w;e ;stood., If, tlie'''Shipowners';Federation was, going to, regulate the shipping of' this country then it'was time wo knew it. ; :•'■ ~;■■■';;;: ; ' Bread and Butter at Stake. Mr. 'w. .-Belcher, secretary of the : Dunediii'. Union, 'said that, believing; that , the : difficulty ijvould havo: to' be faced at ;rio distant.,datei"'it'was -;recognised that', the; best ' policy was ,to put tho matter; before .the Legislature at once/ The men realised that if the unfair competition continues their broad and butter would he; at-stake'; Thoy knew "the sympathies. of. the Prime' Minister arid; ,the Minister for:',Marine-:;-were 'with them,' and, they!:left -the - propositions :in. their, hands to see;,what, could be done' to .cope: with-'the evil that had ;to' be, faced. A .Special'provision .had been' made. in., the Federal 'Navigatiori.' . Bill; for tho protection of; shipS ori'; the" Austra-: lian coast, and New Zealand had done ; the .same'as 7 far A as • the coastal, trade was concerned,. but protection was needed for vessels trading between Australia and New Zealand.,, A number of foreign, companies : were 1 ; looking ~ 'for'.'' openings' for trade, and if we were not careful they . would;; be - ..trotting, across here and. blotting out the New Zealand, "trade; If. we handed over our. trade: to the foreigner ; wb were: isolated: . Woshould take the' lofty attitude of the question being a national one, 'and not ■one for the protection of'the sailor or "the : fireman, but for the whole commu- ■ nity. The best method of dealing with the question 'was; to. _enact legislation,' and allow the'lmperial authorities to "turn it. down; if they-liked :.to do so. The Imperial authorities' 'should be shown that this was, going *to do something in : tlio direction of controlling. its-own, affairs. Some restriction should bo placed /.on foroign'manned vessels, and ho would go as far as to say we .shoujd adopt tho American system of-navigation laws! A Menace to Trade. . By co-operating with the Commonwealth" Government he thought this could- bo done. If the Imperial- authori-. ties-could be shown that the complaints mado wero a distinct menace to trado they would/give the matter the necessary . consideration. There, was no objection to tho Lascar so long as ho, was, paid the same wages as , the British, sailor. It wis all moonshine to say-that the Lascar was not carried because. of his cheapness. If the, Legis-; laturo could .^see, 1 their way. thoy should pass legislation to pro-vido that this country : is ; not' going to' a.llo'w itself to be placed in the hands of Dhe -foreigner so -far. as outside supplies are- concerned. If tl'.is ; could , not be-done, somo taxation should- be, put on these ncoplo ;to> protect ourselves. 'If tho Lascar was an undesirable person iii'.tlie country he must.be equally uridesirable 011 board ship.. "We almost' entreat that

.the Government-will tako this matter into consideration," concluded. Mr. Belcher, "and by legislation or some other means put our own local people on an equal footing with those chcap-manned vessels." ; Prime Ministor in Reply. - Sir Joseph Ward said lie and'his col-, fcagues were'.in , fuill sympathy with tlio representations that had been mado', aud would 1 do' everything in'-their powerto ..protect our. own seamen.,who were engaged hot only, on our own coast,: but also in the intercolon i al, trodo. What was really' wan ted was, legislation to provide for tlio - extension' 1 of tlio coastline to . include Australia and New Zealand and tho islands of the. Pacific. If we could get- an extension of the coastlino, . the whole.,,of, .the difficulty., (aiid he .admitted it was a grave one).would* coasc. Tho question had been discussed at- the Navigation, Conference, and the very difficulties that were how pre-. s"ehting r _themselves ;had_:been .foreseen... One thing to him to be'.quite. certain. If we could not-get an.extension of the, coastline, defined by'the Bri-, tish authorities,. then we would have to do something: else.,.; He..would be quite prepared : . to recommend - his colleagues to, introduce legislation this session, onlilies that were'considered necessary 1 to protect; our own "interests and to.ensure , the. carrying on. of the ; very fine service wo,' Haiti had : between (New Zealand; and Australia, for. so many, years. Tha,t legislation, of course, would have to re-. ceive tho. Imperial sanction.-; ,W© must, protect our, ; ownf seamen ;; from the dc- ; va-stating - effect of .the' low rates. - of; :w ; paid' : to Lascars,;.and if' we'could not geV an .extension ij of the' coastline to cover New Zealand, 'Australia;- and . the_. Pacific, Islands. .(those that woro adjacent to lis' and' to which 'our.' steamers traded), we should ensure-some levelling-up in the cost/for;, tho' conveyance : . ; of ,: passengers j and - cargo' 'in 'the . steamers-, that were competing, .between - the .-'- places , men-. tioned.- f 'As': an .iniportant;self-governing; Dominion, we, were'entitled 'to what- he might/ term, our; local right's,'; and '.while we would do nothing:-to hamper -Great. Britain in the carrying on of; her great overseas trade- we..should expect ~ a, recognition of the;right.to preserve;our •' intercolonial trade for .our .-own ''ships in ,oui-; own .waters". -From the-point ol •.™w'of: : -jm^nal ; :^.qlioy ) 1 -.' this.'would be a good-';thing[ io"'.do.^;':V'We-;did^^ '.to' do anything to deprive ..the subjects, of, .India .of' their, nghts,V-but it should' bo recognised that'; from 'its'.-'; inception. this ; colony'' had set'' itself; to; •'ensure; -that no .coloured race' should'be allowed' ■to pull "down .'the. conditions' of -.; living, of the .white • race. y The ' Government; ;was ini.: full .'sympathy--with'.: the.' sailors in' the v unfair • competition that 1 existed. so ,-far-- . If the. . companies;; that:- paid•■aylow. ;_ rate-', of. wages.'wquld. be.'prepared' to stay, out of. the intercolonial -traffic,;,and would, confine .themselves 'to • ! booking' passengers'':.for L beyond Australia, the matter would assume a:different,aspect.; Recognition of Looal Rights.. ■"Wo wanted to ■ have our local rights recognised, not; only on the coast of New. Zealand,"; but '■' as between . the : Dominion;. and. the'ConimonwealtK,; and, j'if;.possible,, the' Pacific. -Islands.': . The' request to, introduce legislation would 'bo considered,. and- ho did-not see ; why. we should not"do- so.! The Government, while; it .was averse to, monopolies; was. not willing to • 'allow -tho . danger . of : JtheKdestruction of; the services' ;tnat' had |taken a lifetime to biiild lip, and which employed so; nian'y-17'meh.v .The Union Company ;;' and ' tho. Huddart-Parker' Company;: ;wliich * complied-' with' the ih : , ;dustrial; conditions existing in' this country,' had "a right to.'expect' that the ; Government.would:at least see that they , had; a fair 'field - in j competingwith apy ; other concern .', It - ivoul dbe a very sorry 'thMg 'if . as .a „rosult , of ; '..the , present -any-' of' the great Australian:'o'r New.i Zealand companies had to;'take; their registration -iiaway . ;to London.. jThere ;»was, a possibility, of: this ■if some 'arrangement were riot come ,to.: In conclusion, 1 'Sir: Joseph, promised that Cabinet would tako the -whole {position into'consideration.' Minister for Marino's, Views. • . Tlio Hon. J. A. Millar, Minister for [.'Marine;/said' .he- could'; seb'that l if>-.ive ivoro going-!to carry out what, was de^. ;sired / wb' must' have : the: co-operation, of .Australia, ; ahd jhe, could not i seb; any treason" whij' the, •two; -control of what' might.be'caUed- their own home.trade.'' They, had' : made the' trade,;and other persons oiitside'of the P. arid; 0. Company were coming '.to reap: the •benefit." t/He did not ltripw .what; .would: be. the ; best',mean's' of 1 meeting the posi-; :.tion,' but' if .'what'.,,was > required, was to be 1 barried out by wayjbf ;>Sui7 amend-' 'merit; ofthe. : 'Shipping : JiEiiid V Seamen's , Act,, which;he thouglit ,was .the-simplest means, it . could :bo an; amendment-'. of- the - definition • of tho 'word . ."coast." _ He - thought that ■ when ; the -; ,Pnme •■■:. Minister :' went Home ito - the .'lmperial ■' v Cpnference he ,'.would' be; a.ble ..toinakeVmuclr. stronger., .representations 'thari'; he; , 'did - before.' The conference : woiild be,a''fitting; time; to bring the. whole forward., The. Commonwealth -arid; New Zealand had both largely increased their responsibilities in : the "trade,,'of. the iEmpire.-No ; doubt, in 'the;,course .of-- the. next, few days the' matter 'would be gone into arid;something;,done.-. V