SHIPPING TROUBLE.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 October 1925, Page 2

SHIPPING TROUBLE.

(Australia & N.Z. Cable Association.] n.z. conference abortive. WEI.LI NGTON, October (>. The Conference between tile shipowners' and the seamen's representatives with the I’ritne .Minister as mediator, wn, abortive. VOLUNTEER CREWS BLIND CALLED FOIL IMIIME .MINISTER'S STATEMENT WELLINGTON. Oct. 0. This morning a reporter questioned an official of the New Zealand farmers Union as to the po.-ibilitins oi action being taken by fanners as a body. But the reply was to the efleet that mulling definite had si far been done a> far as headquarters were concerned. The position "as being watched, and all depended on the result of to-day's conference. Reports from country districts today indicated that preparations are being made to man idle ships in the event of the conference with the Prime Alinister proving abortive. It is stated that a good response has already been made by farm labourers, etc., who have expressed their willingness to act in any capacity in order to get the country's produce away to the Home markets. The Prime Minister this evening issued the following statement as to the re.-ult of the conference held with a view to settling the shipping strike; “In the statement which I made in the House on the evening of September 9.9 th. I indicated that I was negotiating with the delegates of the overseas seamen and representatives of the shipowners with a view to bringing about a eonference between the two panics. It must Ih> understood that the dispute could he settled in New Zealand only by a mutual agreement bet ween the parties, or alternatively by some tribunal iii the l niled Kingdom. The Government has no jurisdiction

whatever. 1 will later submit a .statement giving greater details ol its proceeding. but meantime will confine my self to the result and the remedy. Seamen'- delegates were brought in from various ports where the men were on strike, and the conference met at 3.311 on Monday aftermoii. It sat. until 10.31) tt.m. on Tuesday, and closed at hoi,ii to-day. The seamen’s delegate; presented a statement of the men’s demands which wore as follows; - (I l The immediate release Irotn prisons of all the British seamen. (2) The men of the overseas ships now on strike to sign now articles of agreement for a voyage to tile United Kingdom, for which purpose they shall he signed clear of no existing articles aml given a “V.G.” certificate of discharge. Wages shall accrue to each limn on the existing articles for the time he has not worked since August Ist. 1225. (1) No line, or forfeiture, or other pc ii nll v shall be deductable from the men in rospieet to anvlhiug that has occurred in New Zealand in connection with l lie present di-pute lo which this settlement relates. (5) All entries in oflieinl logs, or elsewhere. of offences pertaining to the pre-eiit dispute (o be cancelled, and there shall bo no \ ietimisarroit. (lii No prosecution with respect to any matter involved in the present dispute ill New Zealand shall lie instituted in the United Kingdom, or ebewlier \ (7) That, on a settlement being arrived at. each man who had been imprisoned shall be compensated at the rate of £1 per day. or part of a day. (8) On behalf of her crew, each ship shall pay in < ash to tile solicitor- of the crews in Hie present dispute, the full cost of board and lodging of the men incurred during the time they bare been on shore. (!)) The lee-al expense- ini Hi red in Court proceedings against, or In*, the men shall he refunded by them by the ships concerned. Such payment shall be made ill cash to the solicitors of the men. (10) The payments referred to in Nos 8 and 9 shall he made before any ship is manned. (11) Payments under all allotment votes shall he immediately reinstated and payments made accordingly as ii there had been no cessation of work. For this purpose, the companies' offices in the United Kinkdom where the allottinents are payable are to lie at once advised tv i able by each company concerned. (12) The sliding scale of wages to be abolished. (13) On (lie foregoing -terms and conditions being agreed to, and signed. the ships will be manned at once. It was indicated that the men would not sign new articles, except at the July rates of pay. The shipowners' representatives withdrew to consider these demands, and. having done so. indicated that they were rejected. They submitted alternative proposals, which were as follows :

(I’l The men lo return lo the ships immediately, on the basis ol their articles. I'd) Conditional on No I. no prosemilolis will take plan' iii the [ idled K ingdotn i;(l "V.G." discharges, conditional on hehnviotts during flic hahtnee ol the voyage, will he given. t i) No wages to he paid during the t ime the men were on st t ike. (."> t There in n he no remission of lines which have been imposed by the master or the court. (lit Regarding the reinst it lit ion of allot! im nis. the shipowners arc not in a position to-day to say anything definite, hut expect to he able to say something on the subject to-morrow. (7) Attv grievance the men may have should he placed by them before the Board of Trade for iK sjderntion. after t heir arrival in the t’niied Kingdom. As to condition d. (fie owners' representatives at a later stage indicated that, if the men resumed full dutv. current allotments would be itnmodiatelv resttnied. Outstanding allotments also would he paid as far as the balance due to the men would permit. Thu seamen’s delegate- intimated that they 'absolutely reject r;d these term,- of resumption. During the course of tit" negotiations with tile melt's delegate-. I suggested that thev should resume fell dutv. and leave the settlement of their dispute to he dealt with on t licit' return to the Fnitcd Kingdom by a commit te" of the Board of Trade.

Jn-t prior to the ell se ot the conference. I again a-ked the men if there was any tribunal to which they would asu'ee to siihmit their ditiet'eiices tor adjudicat ion. Tlmv renlied that it was tile considered opiuini it tie seamen that no tribunal v< old h" ai'i etitahle. The delegate.,' principal spokesman finally stated they could not waive or deviate in titty way from the demands which thev had nut forward on .Monday. and that miles- the owners’ represent a tives had any further proposals in put before them, the discussion would have to he closed. The owners' representatives replied that, overnight, they had given further careful consideration to the matter. hut were unable To dm.art I rum the proposals thev had submitted. To mv final requcsti to the seamen as to whether there was no alternative, which they could consider, the feplv was that there was absolutely no alternative te what they had laid down. The conference then closed. As to remedying the existing disastrous state of affairs, there i< only one way. and that is to move the 'hips, and this apparently can be done only by augmenting the crews which have stood by the ships with volunteers. The ship must be manned in accordance with the conditions which have been laid down for the purpose bv the Board of Trade whose govern nee they are, find

agreed to by the Underwriters’ Association. The shipping companies will advertise for men to complete the complement. for each ship. The Government, will take such steps as may he necessary to assure the ptotection of tlio crews. NEGOTIATIONS EAIL. SYDNEY, Oct. (J. Negotiation- with the exporters lor the payment of £1 monthly to the British seamen as a condition precedent to a resumption have failed, chiefly owing to the hostility of the ship-owners. LEGAL ACTION. LONDON. Oct. 5. A steward. Charles Booth, is initiating a local action, to secure injunction, which is to he heard in December against the use of funds of the „ld Stewards’ Union, amounting to one hundred thousand pounds, on tlio grounds that the amalgamation ot the British Seafarers' Union and no Union, now known as the Marine Workers' Union, has never lie,hi legally completed. MR SI 11 NAY EI.I.’S STATEMENT. LONDON, October 0. Air 11. >hi dwell. on behalf of tlio Amalgamated Marine Workers has issued the following statetnent : ‘‘Meet.mgs of representatives from the majority of the ports in the United Kingdom unanimously adopted a resolution to continue the strike with renewed vigour The union, consequently, is making bigger and better arrangements at the various ports to carry cm lie strike lo a successful issue. AN o have appealed to the trades unions in Britain for contributions on behalf of the British dependants of the Australian and South African strikers stranded by the unwarrantable action ot the shipowners. We have been in direct communication with Messrs A\ alsh and Charlton, explaining the whole position in Britain and requesting the continued loyalty of the Australians until victory is consummated, assuring them that the British strikers emphatically repudiate Havelock Wilson's agreement with the shipowners.” LONDON, October 5.

Mr ShinwolL in his manifesto states that the Marine Workers organisation have unanimously resolved to have nothing to do with -Mr Havelock Wilson';. Union.

Air Shinwcll adds; —"AN hen tlio strike began, the Marine Workers organisation numbered only ton thousand members. Now the Union has grown tn tie fifteen thousand strong. Originally this union was practically confined in Southampton. Now it lias extended to the other ports. Air Havelock Wilson’s claim that the Sailors’ and i''iremen’.s Union numbered a hundred thousand is a gross exaggeration, its total is under titty thousand.’’ WILSON’S BELLY. LONDON, October 5. Mr Havelock Wilson’s (President of the Sailors’ and Firemen’s Union) replying to Mr Shinwcll stated the Sailors’ and Firemen’s Union numbered 110 thousand members of whom over fifty thousand were fully financial, having paid a year’s dues. Twenty-six thousand had paid for six months, and twenty thousand for three months. The lialaneo are imfinancial members, pending their return to Britain.

Air Havelock Wilson said that, even if the Marine Workers’ Union numbered lifteen thousand members, which he doubted, ill any case it was obvious that they were mostly strikers. Iho probability, lie said, was that not more’ than one thousand were Hilly financial members, lie prophesied that tile .Marine Workers’ Union would havo troublous times ahead A NEW ZEALAND REPLY. WELLINGTON, Oelolwr 0 The shipping companies affected by the trouble have issued the following statement here in reply to Mr Shinwell's cabled reference to eonnnunieaLious with .Messrs Walsh and Charlton: “ There is no detention at any ports to outward sailings. All vessels are securing lull crews without dillieitlty, and the situation is regarded by shipowners as practically clear, the only effect ol the agitation being that willing men in isolated eases are either being intimidated or coerced into refusing work, with the result that they are losing regular jobs, and others are securing them.” They also say that Air Shinwell’s following is quite negligible. DEPORTATION BOARD. SYDNEY, October ft. The Deportation Board is continuing its sittings. Witnesses on behalf oT Toni Walsh still are refusing to answer any of the Commonwealth counsel’s questions. The Australian seamen have refused to take a collier to the Orvieto in the stream to discharge a cargo of coal specially brought for the liner. The coal lumpers meet to-morrow, when they will define their attitude to the seamen’s strike. A CLASH EE.AIt ED. PERTH. October 0. Largely reinforced police are patrolling the wharves at Fremantle as there are indications of a clash hot ween the «au’i'sidei’s and striking seamen, the former protesting at: a lack of work through the seamen’s action, which is driving shinning from the port.