SHIPPING TROUBLE.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 September 1925, Page 2

SHIPPING TROUBLE.

[Australia & N.Z. Cable Association.]

BO.M.AN S’lAll ARRANOEMKXT. CA PETOWN, Septemoer !). The arrangement with the erew ol the Uomau Star insured the men against vietimization by the owners or the charterers and guaranteed an allowance ot wages for six months between the old and the new rates. The Minister of I.about' has returned from Pretoria, apparenty tooling lit' further intervention will be unavailing. The Secretary lor Labour states the men have undertaken to continue the good behaviour which -a tar has characterised ti.c strike. There is no present indication that the men are prepared to accept tincaptain's ultimatum which expires at six o’clock to-night and included the stoppage ill wages, a Hot I le.eltt s and issue- ol rum and tobacco.

A meeting id the strikers at the docks decided to continue the light. BRISBANE WA I! BAN TS. BRISBANE Bept. 10. Twenty-one warrants have been issue ! against tlte striking seamen. SI,C RET NEGOTIATIONS. AIEI.BoI'KXE. Sept. 11. It is stated that secret negotiations to settle the .shipping strike are taking place in Sydney and that representatives of overseas ship outlets anil union delegates to the Union Congress have arranged a meeting. X> eotttiiniation i I this •an !e obtained in Svdnev.

pit; lIT .11’ST COMMENCINGSYDNEY. Sept. 10.

Alter the police visit to the strikers’ meeting Mr Carden stated things were just Iteginuiug to get excited. ‘‘ The light is iti't < omim-iieing." he said. ‘‘By til-resting the men. the owners an- playing light into the Hu-u’s hands, and making them stand more solidly logoi her in the determination to secure tli dr original demands." Air Carden has received a ruble from the Secretary ot the strike rninmitteo at London, stating; ‘‘Stand solid; the men are solid in London. Protest mootings are being organised against the gaol sentences. The Trade I'nion Congress will hear your case."

DKVELOPAIEXTS AT SYDNEY. SYDNEY. Sept. in. The striker- met at the Town llal 1 to-day. They posted pickets at every entrance and outside, cxi hiding the press, shortly after the meeting commenced. a strong force of police surrounded the building. The strikers meeting decided nut to assist the police in any wav. and to leave the Town Hall in a body. Suddenly the men left the Hall tr a mass. I lie police, aei-otnpaiiieil h.\ the ship's otlieets. dodged in among them, hut their efforts proved Lit do. They made only one rapt ure. lie iMr’.l. ('. .lohnsioiie. the Chairman of tbe Strike Committee, and In- was arrested inside the building.

'The police then departed. The situation looked an ugly etu for a time, and a serious i ontliel might easily have been precipitated. At the meeting of the seamen today a resolution was passed requesting 1 1 • e N.S.W. Labour (ii.veremetll to release immediately those seamen who have received ‘‘those aimrioiis sentence.”

'The nicetne tils, resolved that no negotiations for the settlement of tin Strike shall take place -o long as any British seamen remain in gaol, am that before ativ settlement can he reached, all' the records of imprisonment and all the victimisation musi he wiped out. Three si nut plead, d guilty to i-'H-tiiiual wilful neglect ol duty. Eml man was sentenced In twenty-one days hard labour, and to lorfeit the wagedue to them at the rule of six da.vs pa v tor every 2 1 hours lu-gli-rt el duty. tom Walsh ha- issued a writ claiming; jive thousand pnunds damages fm alleged -lander. against Mr l amb uttered during the proceedings hvf.or tin* I ion r»iwinl. u.u'P- '« 1 La mb was (’row it eouttsel.

‘ PRISON HF.I'OI! F. SI. A V FI! Y." : M Kl. point NK. Sept . 10. Some two hundred and liliy of ijn Hritish seamen marched throiitrh the oily to-dav from the Cniou olliees to Hie (it \ ("our! . They were heiuled hy a haulier inscribed: 'prison before Shivery I" On arrival at Court, the men wen sorted into hatches, and wen: arrested An arrangement was made with tin police to save unpleasantness in tin execution “1 tln.* wsiiTiiuts. luMitionnl ‘2lO w.irranis wnv ivsiu*d io-ilay.

SUGCI-NTIOX TFHNF.D DOWN CAPFTOM'X. Sept. ’•)

The Cniou Castle Company, on hehall of the shipowners lias replied, regret t i lie their inability c» accept the South African Government's suggestion ahled yesterday, in view ol the agreement with the .Maritime Hoard. lion. Mr Creswcll. wlm retnriied u Pretoria, has received a cubic Inmi the secretary of the Foolish Seamen's and Firemen's Fnioiis. strongly advising the men to ret urn to work. ( The Seuvie Ims unexpectedly sitilei for A u-t rnl in.

ADVISFD TO 1( F.SI'.M F. LONDON. Sept. !l. 1' Tin- secretary of Hie Ktididi Sea men’s Cniou in- ealiled to tile scciv lory of the Trade- Comu-il at Mel hourne. eniphasisiu g a rei r< ispcci i ve it clause (i in article G. introduce n the seamen's interests, in the agreement . at the same time advising tin men to resume work. NHW ZFA LAND PORTS. NKW PLV.MOt "1 11. Sept. PL Twentyeighi of the seamen belong ing to i he Port Dunedin were -on icured lo a month's imprisonment I ' ,j; iv mi :i rlisirjlt* nf ♦ »il 11 »i m ii” In llilpihip I !i'.‘ f-rn-J IV- nt til.- voyvv. Hi nimilmr cliiU'^i. 1 nt will 111 dt‘ ill v. i’ll! (nltllll.liul- nnllVH-t-Tl»n ill*-!) I• irl• • i 1 "i\ dny> % Si v lniVs nil 11 !<* ‘.hij: \\t r-‘ nl'drivd l« id urn lo "ol k and I » iorleil .-i\ days Tli,. Mugj.si mte. M r Hum. <- nt cd ihm i he men were of a tine -tamp hul lie said they had taken a wrnim rcuicilv in anv court in port WFLI.INGToN. Sepi. 10. Til., crew of the New /.calami Ship, pine Company’s steamer Huahimwalked ashore to-nighl. The ship was -lmrily due !<• sail pn Auckland lo begin Ic.-r homeward loud. 1,1 I.VTTKI.TON PROSFCFTIONS. CHHIKTCHCHCII. Seoi. 10. Summonses arc lining issued against pg members ot Die cl’e" ot Die llororaia. at present on -trike :U Lyttelton, i n a charge of combining to impede the progress of 1 he vessel. SFA.MFX SF.XTKXCF.D. !R<y.cived this day at 8 a,in ' MFI.HOFHNF. Sept. Hb P>efnre a special court, thirty seamen were sentenced to three weeks imprisonment ami ordered lo forfeit three days' pay. Six were sentenced, to -even dues' impi'i-onm-nt and ordered to forfeit two days' pay. "bile tortv-oiie were s.-ntem-ed to fourteen ,l:iv-' imprisonment with the fortcit of two days’ pay. All were charged with wilful disobedience of a lawful command. One seaman wiil ants Sir la-fore the Children's Court as he is under the a_- ■ of sixteen. The strike officials state they have -efficient funds t,, keen all the striker-' in Melbourne For a further three

AUSTRALIAN SHIPPING. CONTROLLED BY I.ORD LXCHCAPE (Received this day at 8 a.m.) .MELBOURNE, September IL Mr Anstey. a metnher of the Royal Commission inquiring into the Navigation Act. ha- presented a special report to the Ouvcnior-Oeiieral. This alleged that practically all the Australian Shipping Companies were controlled by Lord I nrlicnpc and owned by the Peninsular Company. Tin. I'nion Steamship Company, says Mr Anstey. is an alias for the Peninsular and Oriental Company. Tho A u sit a ban Shipping Companies have been grafted into a mammoth combine of oversea shipowners, in which the | lichen|it- group is the predominant partner. In this group he controls the moM-ment ol Australian products, lint only oil the oversea routes, hut - along a thousand miles of Australian coast line. A remarkable fact, continues the report. i- not that so many Australian companies arc overseas companies but that so many companies tire acting under aliases as if they were criminals seeking to escape tit tent ion. The report concludes: ” Ihe Australian shipping business is one vast noil-competitive combine. It may he an instrument for the public good hut the question remains whether the Australian shipping combine is using its power to the detriment ol Australian industry, or whether it is render*, tug e-seutial sen ices at reasonable rates, h is hopeless trying to trace the source n! the combine’s profits. The investigator finds himself chasing a mirage.”

.SITI.I. ARGUING. MELBOURNE. September 11. Ah- Lang t N.S.W. Labour l’remier) replying to Mr Bruce’s Dandenong -|,eech said: ” 111 this first adventure, Mr Bruce seems likely to wreck his warty and cover the Uommomveallh with worldwide obloquy. The fact that nearly all the laws id the Commonwealth are being smoothly administered through the State agencies, or with the assistance of the States, -eenis to have escaped the Prime Min-i-ter tMr Bruce). What he i.Mr Lang) refused to do. was to supply Air Bruce with a Deportation Board lor the banishment ol New South Wales citizens who happeil to incur the hostility of tlte Employers’ Eederaation or the shipping ting- The two union ottieials before the Hoard were not Communists and they publicly challenged the Prime Alinister to show Hint they had any connection with tho ( oiuitiunisi Party or the Soviet Government. BRITISH SHIPS TO BE DECLARED BLACK. SYDNEY. September 11. The Trades and Labour Council met in camera. At the termination of tho proceedings it was stated the council discussed the deportation issue and resolved that all unions he asked to contribute a levy of one ami a- quarter per cent net week of the earnings of their members, the levy to he collected by the unions and all unions to bo called upon to summon special meetings to put a resolution to the effect that no union collect a levy on wages uf L2 or less. The Council reaffirmed its decision to declare all Bril i'll ships black on arrival. Representatives of Labour . Councils ~f all States have so far not arrived at a decision on what action is to he taken in the event of the deportation, priut’edings being held in ea merit. '*’* 'tSU Alt 111 E SEAMEN SENTENCED. SYDNEY. September 11. Tncntr seamen I min the steamer Mill at Newcastle were sentenced to fortv-ei"ht hours imprisonment tor the disobedient-** of a lawful command.« No order "its made for the forfeiture of pay-

DEPORTATION BOARD

FYIDFNCF BFING HKAlll). (Received this day at S a.m.F SYDXKY. Sept. 10. When the Deportation Board mot, Mr Watt intimated he and his colleagues. after consultation with Walsh Would take certain action. Mr Lamb then opened the ease. He said lie proposed to show that A\ alsli had played a prominent, part in the holding up of British ships. Mr Lamb then called the masters of several British ships in port, and they gave evidence' that until the vessels readied Sydney, they had no trouble wiill the crews, hut as soon as they arrived there the men struck. Delegates from v arious States Labour Council-, met and are considering the ,lepoi'iation i —lie, hut will not discuss the strike Five men strikers on similar charges to those cabled previously were .sentenced to seven days' imprisonment, the Magistrate declining to order a