SHIPPING AND THE MILITARY SERVICE ACT

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2877, 15 September 1916, Page 6

SHIPPING AND THE MILITARY SERVICE ACT

HON. G. W. RUSSELL OUTLINES MODIFICATIONS. By Telegraph—Press Association. Dunedia, September 14. Tho Hon. G. W. Russell stated today that many young engineers, having finished their apprenticeship, desired to ship as marine engineers, but were debarred from doing so by the military permit system. He had'arranged that in these cases lists of apprentices wero to be handed to the permit ofliccr in each centre, and on representations being made that a man had bona lido joined a company's scrvico.as a permanent olficer and. not merely for a temporary trip, facilities be given to enable him to follow his profession by joining the crew of any ship that might bo named. Mr. Russell also stated that in Auckland recently he was waited on by tho heads of shipping interests, who drew attention to tho difficulty of providing crews for vessels. Tho position reprcsonted was that under the regulations men who had been discharged from oversea vessels within the last twelve months, or who had discharges representing at least twelve months' service on the coast within, the last three years, were entitled to join a vessel on receiving a certificate from the Marine Superintendent. The permit officer had also been given power to issue a certificate to enable a man to ship. It was pointed out that man;? men whose discharges were not covered by the regulations were fully qualified 'to undertake sea service, and the delay caused in having to comniunicato with tho Department at Wellington in order to ascertain the position of the men as regards departure from the Dominion was very costly. He had communicated with Dr. M'Nab, Minister ' of Marine, and it had been agreed to amend tho regulations so that in cases where men possessed dischargcß not covered by the two cases already mentioned, then at tho discretion of the Superintendent of Marino a man could bo shipped as a steward, fireman, trimmer, or whatever it might be. -Instructions had also been given to the permit officers that in order to allow ships to get away they niight_ exercise larger discretion, with tho limitation that no man was to be allowed to ship as a trimmer, steward/or fireman who had been refused a permit to leave tho Dominion, for a military reason.