SHIPPING TROUBLE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1248, 3 October 1911, Page 4

SHIPPING TROUBLE.

DISAFFECTED OFFICERS. LEAVING. BOATS MAY TIB UP. Nothing seems to bo quite certain about (lie recent trouble with ships' officers and their decision to come ashore, except that their .decision lias not materialised generally yet. Owners arc either in doubt or arc reticent about what has occurred on the ships in which they are interested and members of the Merchant Servico Guild are not all communicative. It appears, however, that all tho small steamer officers, who arc members of Iho guild, exclusive, of tlio masters, have given notice, or have stated that they will giyo notice. This example lias been followed by u number of others who are not' members of tho guild, eo that (he number of those who will remain on duty will probably be n minority. Up till to-day, however, only a comparatively few men have actually made good their alleged intention of going ashore. The others are reported to be making extra trips, in some cat.es after the expiry of notice- given, suiting t'heir own interests in the choice of a port at which to leave. It will prol>nbly bo late in the week before all tho men will have Init their ships, but if reports are true a very largo majority of tho coastal ships will then bo unable to take the sea without engaging a new officer or in some cases two. If things happen as tho guild has decided they should, (hen the trouble is only beginning, for tho shortage of offi-' cers, irksome as it is even now, will l>e a much more serious business, There is also a rumour current that if the companies put other officers on board their vessels to take the place of tlio men who have left, the masters of the vessels will put in their notice and leave. "Anything But Reasonable." There was a meeting of shipowners affected yesterday nfternoq.:i, but so far ns can be learned, no definite lino of action was decided upon. Mr. K. C. Rentier, of tho Fatoa Shipping Company, informed a Dominion reporter that he thought the shipowners wero unanimous in their intention to tio the boats up if they could not l)o kept running. The men's action had been such that the owners could not be expected to submit to it, and treat with the men in conference about tho matters at issue. Ho could upt say whether all tho officers would come out, but ho was inclined io think they would not. "It seems to us," he added, "that the men are coming out without any apparent reason, and without making any dainands on (he owners since the Arbitration Court award was made. They did make a proposal on Friday, but they require:! an a.uswcr that day, and of couifo wo could not give it to them on such short notice. They approached us through a member of the Shipowners' Federation, asking us to meet (hem in conference. A mealing of shipowners was railed, but wo liad to await replies from ' other centres, which we could not get until Saturday. AVe wrote to the guild to that eftect o:.i l'riday, and they have never replied to that letter. Their action in, our estimation is anything but reasonable. Aro Other Men Available? Opinions differ as to tho possibility of filling the places of the men who have left. Tho guild members say that there nro no men available, and tho owners claim that there are, and that they have met with very fair success in filling the. vacancies already created. Certain it is that seafaring men equipped to take a master's position on a coastal boat aro going to ba very much sought after for a. lit'llo while. Attempts have been mado to induce tho masters of steamers tied up owing to the mates being nway to ship on other vessels as mates on masters* pay, but none"of tho offers were accepted. Steamers Affected, The s.s. Manaroa should have left at noon yesterday with mails for the Sounds and Moluckii, but the only mate oarried had left, und tho steamer could not , bo dispatched. Another officer was procured in the afternoon, and tho ship left at midnight, having missed one tide at Motueka. Tho mate of the Wakatu also came ashore, but another was found, and pho left last night for Ktiikoura and Lyttelton. Tho Gertie (Levin and Company) should arrive here this morning, when her officers, it is stated, will coine ashore. Other sfeumers which will probably 1» short of officers to-day will be: The Kennedy (at' Grcyruouth), tho Kopili (at Wellington), Qneen of tho South (at Wellington), and liipple (at Wellington). The officers of tho Hlenheim and the Opawa are expected to leave when the steamers return to Wellington on Wednesday morning, The moto of tho Defender, which left for Greymouth yesterday morning, has also given notice, but he' may not leave until the ship comes back to Lyfc. telton. Tho officers of the Huin end thu Arnpawa, now being overhauled, liavo also resigned. Tho officers of tho Putiki and Ilormdale may possibly finish at Groymonth or eomo back to Wellington nnd leave tho ships here later in the week. Several other stoanwrs arc also likely to bo affected, bnt definite information concerning them is not readily available. FEELING IN AUCKLAND. (By TelcErapu.-PrcES Association.) Auckland, October 2. An officer in the Auckland coastal licet when asked to-day whether he thought thero was a possibility of a slriko there in sympathy with iho'Wellington officers, said it was impossible t<o say what would happen. A claim for an award respecting tho Auckland enastal service had been filed under tho Arbitration Act, and was to have come before the Court during tho present sitting, but slips' officers all through the Dominion were so dissatisfied with tho Arbitration Court award in Wellington, that he believed the officers in Auckland would seek to withdraw their claim for an award here. In fact, ha know that Uiat course had been advised by Captain Watson (secretary of the Merchant Service Guild). It was, he declared, absolutely beyond Mb comprehension as to how the Court could havn declared that it was a fair thing for officers to work 21) hours out of tho 21. Here in Auckland officers in I'ho coastal Heels wero now working 30 hours out of 48, and they wn-U'tcd less than that, but evidently tho Arbitration Court thought they should work more. A mooting of officers had been called to consider (ho desirability of taking action ,but unanimity as to tho course to bo taken had not prevailed.