SHIPPING TROUBLE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 18, 16 October 1917, Page 7

SHIPPING TROUBLE

THE QUESTIONS. IN DISPUTE

CONSIDERED BY COURT OF

ARBITRATION

UNION NOT . REPRESENTED

. . The Court of Arbitration sat in Wellington yeterday to hoar an application by ;the Inspector' of • Awards tor an in-' terpretation of tho agreement between the ..owners of the small vessels now. held up a.hd tho Seamen's Union as to how work shall bo carried on under the eightbo urs' system. Mv. Justice Stringer presided at tho hearing, and Messrs. J PA. M'Cullough and W, Scott also were on the beach. Mr. G. Lighti'oot represented the jjabour Department, and Mr. T. S. Weston appeared l for the ■ shipowners. ■ The questions asked tho Court were:— A. Clause 9 (a): At sea the hours of labour for deck hands shall bo not more than eight in a day, to bo worked as may be required by the employer, (b); At sea hours of labour i'or "stokehold aud engine-room hands shall bo not more than eight in. a day, to be worked us may be . required' by the employer,. Clause 31— 'Definitions: "A day means from 12 midnight to 12 midnight." Question: Has the employer the right at sea to work teeamen any eight hour 3 iii any day ? B. Clause 9 (d): When a:vessel arrives in port and leaves again the samo ; day, or when she arrives • and leaves within eight hours between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m., the ship .may at the option of tho master bs treated as .at sea. - Question: When a vessel arrives in por.t and leaves again the same day, or when a vessel arrives and leaves within eight hours between 5 ip.m. ancl 7 a.m., and is treated "as at sea," and seamen , have -performed, say, two hours' work before arrival in port and will be required to perform two hours' duty after departure, can the balance of the eight hours to be worked in por 1 ". be worked at any time (without paynunt of overtime) as may be required by the master, and as provided in Clause 9 (a) aud (b)? .0. Clause 11 (b):' The hours of labour In port for deck, engine-room, and stokehold hands shall be between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., except that on days of departure from a port the chief engineers may set watches three hours before the time fixed for the departure of tho vessel. Question: Wheii a vessel arrives in port and a seaman' has worked, say, four hours at sea before arrival, can the balance of the eight hours be worked at any time between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. (meal hour excluded), as may be '.equired by the employer?' D. Clause 18: The meal time allowed in port shall be—For breakfast, any one hour between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.; for dinner, any one heur between 12 noon and 2 p.m.; for tea (if working overtime) any one hour between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., and if working is to bs continued, after 11 p.m.. one hour for supper ■ between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. A seaman shall not be under ■ any obligation to curtail any meal time, even on tho terras of payment for overtime. Question: Where a vessel (such as is the case regularly with the s.s. Pateena), is to sail at 12.45 p.m., can tho master send Fome of the men to dinner at noon and the Test of the men at 1 p.m., or can all the men be required to take their dinner after the departure of the ship? ' E. The Court is further requested to 'decide if, where the manning scale of. the Shipping and Seamen Act allows small vessels to carry less. than six able Beamen, it is essential to the safety of such vessels that two deck hands should be employed on. deck at the same time, in addition to tbe officer in charge. As the' Seamen's Union was not represented, Mr. Weston suggested an adjournment of .the case, but the Court decided to proceed.. The President said it was regrettable that the union was not .re-presented,-but if it chose to be unrepresented the.Court must procecd without its aid. Addressing the'Gourt, Mr: Weston said the Seamen's Union' had attempted to take advantage of the terms of the new agreement, to secure, more overtime. Mr. Justice Higgins, of tlie Australian Arbitration Court,. hail said ' that under the eight-hours' system the eight, hours could be arranged at the will of the employer. Referring to the dispute' between the employers and tno • union, counsel said •that W- T.. Young, the secretary of the union,, had issued a circular to the members of the union, in which lie laid' down three Tules: . They could not object to working two, three, four or. more watches of , deck hands. . They .could not object' to.one, two; three or 'more-men in a watch. -.'' They must on a voyage establish , a routine • of-worli, and that routine must be even.right through. ; That 'meant that the watches must.'; .be of . equal length and have the.'same'number-'of men. Young, also said that once a routine fir a. voyage had been fixed it . could not-be altered during that voyage. The practical-effect', of' Youngs interpretation- was that-althou'gh' one man in a watch could-be worked the. eight hours had. tobo worked .watch by watch, his object being to say: "If yni work a mall outside tho hours established' in the routine then you have to pay h'im overtime." It was noteworthy that in- tliat circu-

lar of tho union's secretary (hero was no mention of. danger through working one man in a watch. At the conference between union and uwunr representatives it had been suggested to Young that tho matters in dispute should bs taken to the Court, of Arbitration, but Young had declined, and said they would take other means. Two days after .that tho men had struck. Look at the daring and tho impudence of trying to boom a cry like that at such a. time! It showed how hard pressed Young must have been when he took up such a position. This man suggested, a scheme, and then when he could not get his own way and dragoon the owners he boomed the'cry of public safety. The request for two men in a ivatcli was an afterthought. One man in a watch did not mean that only one man was on duty. 11l addition to tho man on 1 the watch there was'always an officer on the bridge, and in bad weather the captain was either on the bridge as well or within easy call. Tho men were not the. only people who were solicitous for the safety of fives at sea; the officers who went to sea valued their own lives. The owners (lid not wish to lose their boats or have them damaged, and so would not send them to sea inadequately staffed.- If the men's demands were conceded, little lioats would go out with a staff of about 15. They would go- out with all tbe paraphernalia of snips bound for England. Was not that absurd? In this time of war, when labour was scarce, all should bo trying to do something extra to help tho country through, but hero were tho seamen striking simply on a question of pelfs. The vessels had been held up for six weeks, and the matter was serious to the owners. The oue-man-in-a-wiitolii system had obtained for about fifty years. Evidence was then called by Mr. Weston. 1 i John Beaton,, mate of tho Koutumn, trading between Wellington and Napier, said that he warf formerly an ablo seaman. Ho said one man in a watch was sufficient. Two men in a watch was likely to lead to talking. There ytaa little ■ danger of collision at sea on the New Zealand coast. Few vessels were passed in tho course of a coastal voyage. Arthur Henry Fislc, master of tho s.s. Waverley (93 tons), said that only one man in a watch was necessary,-and that it was quite safo to go to sea under 11: at system. His Houour: Do yon know of any casualty arising through tho system? Witness: No. Captain W. A. Wildman, of the Kaitoa, stated that he knew of no accident having occurred! through there being only one .man in a, watch, and he had had 30 years' experience. , One man in a watch was sufficient. Captain James Edward ■ Dawson, Harbourmaster, Wellington, said there was nothing in the contention that in the interests of safety it was necessary to have two men in a watch. A. P. Gibson, master of the Kapuni (97 tons), which was on the Wel-lington-Patea run, said he had had 17 years' seafnring, and had gone up the ladder from boy to master. So thought one man in a watch sufficient. Robert John' Hay, master of the Nikau, also said that one man in a watch was enough. Archie. Robertson, master of tho Putiki, •which runs in the Dunedin trade, and Captain Parvis, of tho liimu, also gave .evidence to the effect that one man in a watch was sufficient. The latter said that, not once in a year did he pass a vessel on his run, so there was no danger of collision. Captain Texeira, of the Apantii, a Northern Company vessel, deposed that he reckoned that one man in a watch was sufficient, and added that tho seamen on the Northern Company boats had not struck over this question. Jlr. Weston was able to call further evidence on similar lines, but the President. said it was unnecessary; .the evidence was "clear and definite." That concluded the hearing, and the Court reserved its decision.