SEAMEN AND FIREMEN.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 October 1923, Page 4

SEAMEN AND FIREMEN.

C'( tNCTUATION COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS. WELLINGTON, October 17. Important matters in connection with the seamen's ami firemen's dispute were discussed before the CoiicTiialion Council to-day. Regarding fumigation of the men’s quarters. the shipowners suggested that ilie quarters he fumigated, cleaned and painted once in twelve months. The union suggested every six months. No agreement was 'em lied. On the question of discharging ashes, Mr Voting stated that lie could not understand why the prefereme clause should he taken away from them when it was given to waterside workers and cooks and stewards. Mr Smith : You have the elans,, here. Mr Young: We have not. Wo got. Sir John Findlay's opinion on it. and that it is not a preference clause at all. Mr Ilamnmi'd: There is no such thing in New Zealand as compulsory unionism at all. Mr Justice Sim has laid it down that the employer is the .sole judge of qualifications, so that even after an award comes into force the employer has his stand. Mr Young: I think Mr Hammond has not a conception of exactly v.hat compulsory unionism is. t got it in for the Tr.imwaymeirx Union for ilie first ti ll1<. in New Zealand, ami it provided that, if a. man were to join the iini ii within one month to obtain employment, which must he regular he would he granted preference. .Mr Hammond: The Conn ha- no power to grant ii. .Mr Young: Yes. It has no power to do a let of thing', but you see 11 dues them. Mr Hammond: Wherever an agreement comes before the Court containing a preference' clause, ilie Court draws attention to the fact and does not incept any responsibility. The Commissioner: As a matter of fact the question came before the Court of Appeal, and it decided that the Court had no power to insert a compulsory preference clause. Mr \ouiig: The Court can only say to employe:.S licit they shall give preference to unionists. Mi Hammond: Rut not absolute preference. Some discu-sion took- place over the definition el the term “departure". Air Young arguing that depot turn meant unmooring a vessel lor her voyage.

'1 lie employers asked for the addition of the words “or. in ■ use o' ;undsteads, from the time when she completes her loading or unloading.” The men’s leprosontat ives agreed to the Court's definition, which read: “Departure means the time when a vessel mi moors or weighs anchor from her last loading or discharging berth, whether she immediately proceeds to sea or net." The clause regarding arrival was agreed to, “Arrival meins the time when u vessel is finally moored at a place in any pent, bay, river or roadstead where cargo, coal, mails or passengers are to he shipped or unshipped. A vessel shall not he deemed to have arrived in port when she is for any reason moored c.r anchored prior to finally proceeding to her loading or discharging berth in port. If a vessel is anchored at her tistirl discharging berth in a roadstead and is prevented by bad weather from discharging or loading she shall not I e deemed to have arrived until voik actually eommcm es." Other definitions agreed to were: "At <■ '* means the time Irout departure to arrival. “In port" naans the time from arrival to departure. “.Mooted" includes anchored, hut not when anchored through stress of weather, fog, conditions of tide, waiting for order-., or quaranline, or other legal rc l trietiem-. "Home port” means the pert in New Zealand or Australia where the "oilmen first joined the ship. “A day.” except where otherwise proruled, mean- from IP midnight, to 12 midnight. All Young stated that the chime referring to the Disputes Committee was not the same as the award, nor was il

similar lo the procedure wlii.h had boon agieed upon with the men at the recent conference. He thought that a doei;-i m of the Disputes (Yinmittco should he binding and that there should be no appeal fiom it. Air Hammond said f!u:.t ilie owners sought the right nf appeal lb:r either side. At pre-ent the decision of the committee was really that of one man, the chairman. ft was agreed to delete all rel'crenee io procedure from the clause.