EMPTY STOKEHOLDS
ACUTE SHORTAGE OF MEN. ■As a temporary moans, to keep their vessels-running to schedule during Christmas and New Tear or until such lime as the supply of firemen was in keeping with the demand, the Union Company recently made representations to" tho Federated Seamen's Union that trimmers who have not had the statutory tjirco months' experience should be permitted to sign articles as firemen. A meeting of the central executive of tho union was hold to consider tho matter, and the following motion was unanimously carried :— "That it would be against tho best interest of crews and tho travelling public to consent to vessels being manned witli unqualified men in any department, and thus for this and other reasons tho executive of the Seamen's Union does not agree to the representations made to permit unqualified men signing articles to cope with any existing shortage of seamen, but to overcome tho difficulty recommends that immediate steps lie taken to bring about the immediate reloaso of seamen confined to inebriate homes and those serving under four months' term of imprisonment as well as those being held by tho authorities at tho instigation of the military." To a reporter Mr. W. T. Young f aid that in normal timee there was always a shortage of men during Christmas and New Year. The 2000 members of the union who had voluntarily enlisted had been replaced by 1995 new men. The Wellington Military Service Board exempted 530 seamen on account of their occupation, and this concession applied to other centres. Thjs year the position was much more acute on account of the influenza, which took by death from 40 to 45 members at this port. In addition to that total quite a number passed away at Auckland, Lyttelton, Dunedin, and other 'ports. Then there was a number of men who joined vessels since the outbreak of war, and are now taking their clearances from the union and resuming their occupations on shore. "The Government to-day," said Mr.-Young, "is holding in the prisons of the country something in the vicinity of 280 conscientious objectors, and we claim that if these men were released so that they might take up their ordinary civil employment it would largely relieve the existing position, seeing that in a great many cases tho work previously performed by a. number of these men is now bein.? performed by seamen." ' The matter of the Mannka and the Jloeraki,. now held ud at Sydney, was montioned, and Mr. Young stated' that the Union Company had agreed to carry out suggestions made by the union for the improvement of the living quarters on the vessels. With the object in view of petting these two vessels to New Zealand that there might be, an inspection of the quarters, and the necessary recommendations made as to alterations, he had twice cabled to the Australian Peamen's Union,, pointing out that New Zealand ports are now practically free from the epidemic; that nearly all ships are in commission, and uririiifr the union to man tho Moeraki and the Manuka. What had been done on the other side ho did not know, as he had had no reply to his cablegrams. 'Sir James Allen (Minister of Defence and Acting-Prime Minister) does not approve (on the ground raised by the Seamen's Union) the release of seamen imprisoned for desertion or other serious military offences. Sir .Tomes recently stated plainly in the House of Representatives that 'lie was not in favour of the granting of privileges, or concessions to military defaulters, and he indicated unmistakably yesterday that he had not changed his mind.
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Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 71, 18 December 1918, Page 5
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603EMPTY STOKEHOLDS Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 71, 18 December 1918, Page 5
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