PROTEST AGAINST A CAPTAIN

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 312, 21 September 1918, Page 8

PROTEST AGAINST A CAPTAIN

BY MERCHANT SERVICE GUILD DISMISSAL DECIDED UPON By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland: September 20. As the result of a protest by the Merchant Service Guild, Parker, Lamb and Co., timber dealers, have decided to dismiss the master of one of the company's steamers on its return to Auckland. This decision ill as been reached at the request of the Acting Prime Minister, to whom the Merchant Service Guild communicated the following resolution, adopted at a general meeting at Wellington on September 9:—"Failing Captain Petersen, master of the Akaroii, being removed from his position within fourteen days, members of tho Merchant Service Guild will come, ashore from their ships until such time as the'man is removed." Tho notice would have expired next Monday. Mr. Lamb, interviewed, said Captain Petersen had been in -the employ of the firm for years. After the outbreak of tho war there was agitation in regard to him, and as a consequence Mr. Lamb had asked him as to his nationality. Petersen told him he was bom in Schleswi?, but had left there for New • Zealand when ho was _etght years old. The Germans had confiscated all his father's property, and ho had no love at all for them. He became a naturalised British subject several years before tho war, and was married'to an Auckland woman, and "had a family. In view of the opposition to the firm's employment of the man because of his German origin, it was eventually decided to dismiss him. That was done, said Mr. Lamb, and Captain Petersen obtained employment as master of a fishing trawler, a fact that was never the subject of comment. Mr. Lamb added that some time afterwards ho was approached ,!>>' the police, and told that they had made further inquiries, and considered they had done the man an injustice by their former attitude. They asked him to employ him again when opportunity arose. A few months later there was an opening, and the firm again took Petersen'into its employ. Prior to doing so, Mr. Lamb said he saw Superintendent Kiely, of the police, who told binr there was nothing against Petersen, and that the firm would be doing right in taking him on again. ■■' ' The police authorities in. Auckland 'state that the attitude they took up with regard to • the case, after very closo inquiry, was that nothing could be ascertained to justify, them in rc~ commending the Parker-Lamb Company not to take Petersen into their employ again. Complaints were made of alleged disloyal statement!! by the man,< but only by one engineer who was temporarily relieving on the same boat,' and tho 'police could not obtain .anv corroboration of that allegation. Tho matter was investigated, but nothing was loarned which would have given the police anv chance of successfully prosecuting Petersen.