MATUNGA'S LOST CREW

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 112, 29 January 1918, Page 6

MATUNGA'S LOST CREW

. CLAIMS OF. DEPENDANTS. Inquiries having been made by the Federal Prime Minister's Department into the complaint- that acute distress exists among the dependants of tho crew of, the steamer Matunga, of the Burns, Philp line,, which mysteriously disappeared ivhile on' a voyage • from Sydney to Rabaul, the following statement, of the position was issued last week, by Mr. Shepherd, Secretary to the Prime Minister's Department:— "Burns, Philp and Co. telephoned this ' morning that when the vessel was first reported overdue they disbursed £215 16s. as temporary assistance to urgent cases in distress amongst the depend- : ants to tide them over tlie*first shock, including £20 to Mrs.- M'Brido, of New Zealand, after which further temporary assistance ivas the duty of, and was given-by, the Shipwreck Relief Society and various unions. On solicitor's advice these were called loans to obviate the admission of liability in the event of unreasonable claims of compensation against either the Govern--ment or Burns, Philps, and Co. "Bums, Philp and Co. then approached the Government Shipping Master, and persuaded him to accept tho,.wages, due. to tho crew "until August g, the day after tho vessel was ; last heard of, for disbursement to next-of-kin, Burns, Philp and Co. accepting ''the risk of repudiation if the cre.w returned later. "Since then Burps, Philp and Co. have exerted continuous pressure to obtain the official notification from the New South Wales Navigation Department of the finding of the Court of Marine Inquiry to enable dependants to obtain insurance and any other funds, also to decide whether it a mar■ine or war loss. In the latter case the question of compensation to the dependants would be a Government matter."