SEARCH FOR SEAMEN

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 65, 9 December 1937, Page 12

SEARCH FOR SEAMEN

Placement Service Enables Ship to Sail The story of a anccessful eearch for two seamen ttf complete a ship's complement, tbereby saving a company many hundreds of pounds, js tolcl in the weekly report of a State Placement oificer. It was a Saturday morning, the ship was loaded, and as the weather was tiireatening, the captain was anxious to put to sea j but his crew was short two seamen, and the shortage had to be made good. The manager of the company sought the help of the local placement officer, who telephoneg to colleagues in three other ports, with the result that one man was located, hia transport expenses wer« arranged, and he reached the ship next day (Sunday) and signed on. There was still one man needed and tjje orew refused to sail short-handed, S(^ the company's manager and the placement officer, in the former's car, scoured the city all the morning. By chance they learned that a man who used to be a seaman was engaged on full-time work some miles in the country. The car was heacted away from the city, and, racing up to the maximum speed limit, soon reached the residence of the ex-sailor, He proved willing to sign on, and by 'phone the district employment officer was requested to arrange with the man's employing authority to release him so that the shjp cpuld sail, And so baqk to the ship with their prize. Mere the cyew raised the question of union fees, and pn that boisterous gunday afternooji they held a meeting to discqss the position,. Ultimately, they decided that they would take the ship to' sea on conditiou that the recrnit paid his nnioa fees whep the vessel arrived at the next port, At midnight fhe ship crept "qut to sea in a gatliering storm, leaving behind a very gratpful couipany manager, whp explained to the placement officer that failure to lopate a seaman to cpipplete the ship's personnel wonid havn had very serious re§ults. For instance, the port charges on the ship, apart from harbour and other dnes, were £30 per day: Had §he been delayed nntil Monday she probably would have upset her timetable, invplving g, lo§s of aboqt £500 in frejght, Further serious prqbabUities were the ios^ thrqugh nndue delay pu delivery of 1,000 tons of cargo and the consequent temporary sijspension of production In a particular industry aifected. It was} therefore, not surr prising that tlie company's head office sent to the placeipent officer a cordial message of thanks for the prpmpt and effiqient help he had rendered. The message ended: °I tlnnk your service Ls wonderful."