ALLEGED SEDITIOUS STRIKE
• FIREMEN CHARGED HOLD UP OF A COAL STEAMER At the Magistrate's l Court yesterday afternoon Mr. AV. G. Kiddell, S.M.-, heard cue charges brought by the Crown against a, number of iirenion emx>loycd on an intercolonial steamer for being parties to a seditious strike. The. firemen concerned were G. Anscoinbo, W. M, Green, Kdbert Hand, James Mathows, Wi Major, Charles M'Lean, W. Sime, and P. Mtshall. . -.- .
Mr.-.P.' S. IC. Macassey, of the Crown Law Office, appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. 11. l< 1 . O'Lcai-y represented the whole' of tho defendants.) Mr. Macassey -wished to tako all tho cases together. Mr. Q'Leary objected, but agreed that should it be necessary to take the cases-against tho other men ho would bo willing 'to accept tho Crown's evidence in tho .first-case us , applying to.tho others.
Ur. Macassey then decided to tako tlio enseiagainst James Jfathews, a. greasier on tho, vessel, who was acting as donkeyman.
In- his opouing statement, Mr. MacasBoy sail tho proceedings wero taken undor Regulation 2 of the War Regulations dated. February IG, 1017. This regulation provided "That do person shall he i a party-to. a seditions strike or to a seditious lock-out, or shall incite or encourage, or procure'any'such strike or lockout or . the continuance) thereof." The facts' of the. case were that thesh'ip'in"question, was at Newcastle, and while thora the cook .disappeared for a day or two. The chief steward ofiored to cook tho meals • for tho officers,' and it was 'arranged that tho 'crew, should have tXoir hieals ashore at tho expense of the shin.'■■' Mathews declined to fall, in with this arrangoment, and demand-, ed that tho chief. steward should cook-' his ineals, which' the latter refused to do. .. On. June 17 the vessel arrived in Wellington, and on the following dayi ,916 day before the crow signed off. as customary, Mathows told the' captain, that tho firenien. would refuse to sign on if tho chief steward signed on. On the same day .the second engineer asked the firemen individually if they wero going to sign .fresh articles, and all but two said they jVould. sign on, Fitshall, ono of tho firemen now chal-ged, being ono oi\them. On June 1!) the captain, accompanied by. MiitheWs ' and other firemen, .wont to the,shipping office'to sign off the crew and sign on a fresh crew, Mathews asked the captain if ' tho chief steward had signed on, and when told that .ho had, Mathews said "W>> won't sdgn on," and the firemen loft, "hero were two sailors' in' tho office,' and fliathcws'called out to .them to conio out. The ship was ,• regarded a's a "picked" ship for fireliion, and the men had good quarters.-,- It was arranged that tho ship should proceed to Greymouth to load coal for Lyttoltoii for ti steamer umlor the control'-of the Imperial authorities. Owing to tho strike and of tho difficulty of obtaining other men tuo coal could not be sent to Lyttelton. The , vessel-was diverted to Wellington, and lo.?t four days, which cost £&) a day, in addition to having had to steam two hundred niiles; and there was also the loss to the.Blackball Company in three days' -demurrage at .680 per day. Every effort was'made to-obtain other men, and a number ~of firemen wero engagod, but theso men were subsequently inducod not to g<? on Board. As to tho legal aspect,' ho. pointed- out it was not necessary, td. prove, 'to conslituto nn offence, that a breach of contract had taken place/ Mr. Justice Stringer,.had ''decided- that: discontinuance of employment by a number of workers in accordance with .a combination entered into by them , with intent •»■ compel their employers' to comply with tho demands' mado by them is .a striko within tho meaning of. Station 2 of tho Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment. Act, 1908, and it was immaterial whether or not tho.actual cessation of .work involves-a, breach of contract. The definition of a strike under the AVar Regulations. was very much wider than tho definition of tho strike in the Act referred to. Tho \Var Regulations defined a . seditious strike as a concerted action on the part of any workers'-which was intended or tendency to interfere with the efjecttve conduct of any essential industry. The shipping- indnstry - had been declared an essential industry. Evidence in support of - the opening statement Wiis given by tho captain, engmeor, -and chief officer-of tho collier; Mr. T. S. Weston, one of tho receivers at the Paparoa Coa! Company interested in supplying the coal to tho overseas vessel at Lyttelton; Mr.- C. F. Turner manager of the Blackball Coal Company; the. second engineer of the collier, and the chief steward. . '
When tho case for the prosecution closed at 5 p.m., an adjournment to Jtonday was fised.
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Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3128, 5 July 1917, Page 9
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792ALLEGED SEDITIOUS STRIKE Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3128, 5 July 1917, Page 9
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