S.S. MAORI HELD UP

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 96, 17 January 1919, Page 6

S.S. MAORI HELD UP

THE OUTLOOK GOOD '.;' VESSEL MAY. SAIL TO-NIGHT '""'No infinite announcement has been made'that-the Union Company's ferry Maori -will leave Wellington /-to-night for .Lyttelton, but it is hoped '.that she will be able to do so, manned ,by. a stokehold, crew engaged at the . ordinary rate 'of wages (£l4 10s. a month). '■~;■■ . ■ ,

The Mararoa arrived at Wellington ' from Lyttelton yesterday morning, and returned south, in the evening. All lief'firemen are drawing "runners' " money,,of ~n£6., for;,,the round trip between Lyttelton and Wellington. As rhas been/previously'stated, the daily ■ wages of these.-temporary" firemen are £2 a dayj ,which 'works out at £6 for a - return trip from. either termini. Their practice,-a Dominion reporter was', informed yesterday, has been to join. the ship at Lyttelton a few . minutes before sailing time, for which they receive a full day's pay; a day's pay is earned between midnight, and tho time the ship berths at Wellington. The fifth and sixth pounds are made when they.have returned to Lyttelton. The men leave the vessel almost immediately and eeek re-engage-ment at their own terms about 6 p.m. ...The Blackball. Coal Company's steamer Ngatoro, which was unahjeto sail from this port to Greymouth on Wednesday in. consequence of no firemen being available for work at less than 30s. a day, was yesterday fully .manned at the -usual,wage. '■ • - Seamen's Union Secretary Speaks. Mr. W. T. Young, secretary of the Seamen's Union, when seen by a reporter' concerning the demands of the "runners," said: "For some' weeks ■ certain individuals, at Lyttelton and Wellington in particular, have made demands entirely outside the Seamen's . Union for, in some cases, 2os. per day, and in other cases for £2 per trip. •This action'has- not in any way received the endorsement' of the union, wMch is Vep&red to, and will, abide .';, by the agreement it has entered into with the shipowners. We will loyally carry" out the terms of. that agreement, 'whether these terms be, good, bad, or . indifferent. It is for the collective membership to decide whether the terms are satisfactory or otherwise, and not for a.handful of.men who do not regularly follow /the sea as an occupation—men who, in'a large number of. cases, are not members-of the Seamen's Union. In our opinion these men are'selfish individualists who do not see beyond their own personalities in these matters, and who entirely dis regard the very. best, interests of the huge majority of men operating the mercantile marine of New Zealand. The union is out to protect that majority ■and to. better their conditions aboard 6hip. This individuaKselfishness is in no way embodied in the terms of unionism, and is . solely individualism, ■which is the pronounced enemy of col"lective action. -_~.,''

-To give some idea of how.the union views:these matters one of our registered rules provides that if 'any member sticks up a ship for terms .awT conditions beyond those in the agreement he is liable .to, a! fine of £10 and to suspension . in, or expulsion from, the union. Of course,that rule only ' men who are members of the bunion,, arid cannot, bo applied to a majority of those who have-been, demanding £2 a day for the trip to Lyttelton and back; and vice versa."