MORE TROUBLE WITH FIREMEN

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2723, 18 March 1916, Page 6

MORE TROUBLE WITH FIREMEN

MAORI HELD UP

. —~ / RUN SOUTH CANCELLED

Owing to trouble with her firemen the steamer JTaorJ did not' sail ior xij'tteltoa last night. Late yesterday afternoon the majority of the steamer's stokehold crew signed off in a body, ana it _ being found impossible in tile limited time remaining to obtain a complement, there was no alternative buu'to cancel the vessel's trip'. One of the firemen of the vessel having been discharged for neglect of duty, sixteen of his associates—ll firemen and 5 trimmers—believing that there was an "informer" in their midst who had betrayed the discharged fireman, decided, "as a matter of principle," to stand by the discharged man. Accordingly, 16 out of 27 of the boat's stokehold crew came ashore. The facts oF tile case, as far as could be ascertained, seem to be that a fireman having been told off to clean out the forecastle (for which duty time oil .is given), neglected to obey orders, and instead went ashore. On this being discovered by the engineer the man was forthwith. discharged. Some of tlie men being of the opinion that one of their number had drawn the attention of the engineer to the fact iliat

the work had not been done, demanded the "informer's"'name ; and on' this being refused they decided to sign off as above. Up till 9 o'clock last uight the Maori was still short of eight firemen, the full complement of trimmers having been found. • It is understood

that several, men offered to go aboard at a rate of pay much above the ordinary scale, but their services were declined. At 9.15 it was definitely stated that the vessel would not make the trip. Some 240 .passengers had oocked by the Maori, a number of these transferring to the Westralia, which left for .Lyttelton shortly after .10' o'clock. Should the complement of firemen be obtained before 9 o'clock this morning the Maori will leavo for

■the south in time to bring up passougers from Lyttelton to-night!