SAILORS AND THEIR GRIEVANCES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4369, 22 March 1875, Page 3

SAILORS AND THEIR GRIEVANCES.

(From the Home News, Jan. 22.) On Jan. 19th a large meeting of sailors was held at the Eastern Hall, Limehouse, under the auspices' of the London Seamen’s Mutual Protection Society. Capt. Bedford Pim presided,- and in opening the proceedings said he had great pleasure in attending the meeting. The society under whose auspices it had been convened was, he thought, destined to do great good, because it was founded on right principles. It was not a trades union, aud did not go in for strikes. It taught its members, as their first duty, when the ship they belonged to was in peril, to attend to the safety of the women and children, then the passengers generally, aud lastly themselves. He then proceeded to read the petition to Parliament which the meeting was to consider. It complained that the seamen of the British mercantile service were subject to great disadvantages, which could only be remedied by practical legislation ; that the food supplied to mariners was deficient in quantity, and inferior in quality ; that great inconvenience and injury resulted to the mercantile interests of the kingdom the large and increasing employment of foreigners and Lascars in British ships; that great abuses had crept into the present system of shipping seamen at the various shipping-offices in the kingdom, which required the attention of the Legislature, especially in regard to large companies, and other grievances of a similar character. Mr. M. Giles) a seamen, proposed that the meeting approved the petition as read, and that it should be sent to the Prime Minister and the Board 1 of ; Trade, and presented to Parliament. Mr. Anley seconded the motion, which was carried. At night a meeting of seamen was held at North Shields respecting the employment of foreigners on board English vessels. Joseph Conway, a Naval Reserve man, presided, and the meeting was addressed by several seamen, who stated that, owing to the large number of foreigners employed in British ships, British sailors could not find proper employment. It was urged that the law should be that two-thirds. English and one-third foreigners should be on board vessels. If some alteration were not made. Naval Reserve men and other seamen would bo compelled to serve elsewhere. A resolution was passed, memorialising the Admiralty to endeavor to prevent such large employment of foreigners on British vessels, to the exclusion of Englishmen.