THE FERRY SERVICE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1901, 8 November 1913, Page 6

THE FERRY SERVICE.

THE CHANCES OF STOPPAGE. There iB apprehension that unless tho Strike is quickly settled tho ferry service between Welliiigiflu and 'Lyttelton frill havo to bo discontinued. ' Hopes have been expressed that, in tlio event of tlio seamen and firemen coming out. •• tta member,s 1 of tlio Marino Engineers Institute, might man tho Government steamers or other small vessels, and ; continue tlio carriage of passengers aiid mails between tlio two islands. It is Stated on good authority, however, that t'lio engineers will not do this. That they will abide by their own agreement with their employers goes without say ing, but they will not act as firemen or undertake deck duty. Olio of their number who was spoken to last evening said 1 hat if tlio engineers took upon themselves tho duties of firemen and seamen, they would incur an amount of odium which they could not, bo ex*. peeted to invito. Bp pointed out, how ■ ever, that tho encineers Svoro alwavj anxious to carry out all possiblo obligations Testing upon them. As in thn case of tlio Moana yesterday, they will keep steam upon a ship to run tho, freezing ma6b,m.e.ry (so that perishable cargo may not suffer injury), and for the purposes of olectric light. Tlio engineers also consider themselves bound, to get up steam _ when it is necessary to tako a ship from a wharf to moorings. This is m keeping With tho aititudo they adopted when they Svero last ill difficulties with &htpownns our an agreement, On tha-t occasfan'instrue* tions Were issued by tho Institute Jhati ho ships wore io be left in dangerous harbours such as exist on she West Coast of tlio South Island, but that they were all to bo taken to safe ports.