TROUBLE WITH CREW

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 145, 23 June 1930, Page 11

TROUBLE WITH CREW

THE STEAMER LAWBEATH

■• ALLEGED PENALISATION

(from "Th» Port*" Representative) LONDON, 4th May.

A- sequel to the trouble with the, crew «f the tramp steamer "Lawbeath" has •risen in this country. A dispute arose ■while the vessel waa trading between Nauru Island and New Zealand, and at Lyttelton the crew refused to continue to work on terms of the' agreement embodied in the ship's articles unless New Zealand rates o£ wages and conditions were granted. On charges of impeding the ship the men were convicted and imprisoned. All "A .them, except the boatswain and two ir three others, took advantage a few -»o^y a/f.ci-warfis of an alternative to return to the ship. The others elected to remain in prison. Unionist seamen declined to. fill their places on the ship, .and non-unionists were, consequently employed When the ship reached Port Chalmers to discharge her cargo of 4000 tons of phosphates the waterside workers declined to do the work. The ship was held up from unionist headquarters in Wellington. A fortnight later Captain M'Fadyen succeeded in arranging a meeting with representative bodies and an agreement was drawn up. Among other clanseß there was one stating that,the master of the yesBel agreed that the men- should not suffer any loss of wages by being logged on account of the dispute.

When the crew were paid off at Hull laat Thursday nineteen of them found they had been charged with the expenses incurred in the dispute, amounting to nearly £100 per man more than was due ,to them as wages from the ship. The men signed off under protest, and it is stated the members of the crew who are affected will institute proceedings in the Admiralty Court in London.

Tie men allege that the clause in the agreement stipulating that the men shall not suffer any loss of waj»es by being logged on account of the dis|juto has been ywkied,