THE MAORI HOLD-UP

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10293, 30 May 1919, Page 7

THE MAORI HOLD-UP

ENGINEERS' ACTION

STATEMENT BY TELE UNION GENERAL SECRETARY.

To a representative of the "New Zealand Times," Mr W. T. Young, general secretary, of the Federated Seamen's Union, made the following statement respecting the hold-up of the s.s. Maori on Monday and Tuesday last, which inconvenienced a large number of passengers. ''Early on Tuesday morning," Mr Young stated, "the local manager of the Union Company called on me', and reported that the Maori had not sailed the previous evening, as the firemen and trimmers refused to put to sea, without the full complement of fifteen firemen and nine trimmers, and asked that I should hoard the ship and see the men, which 1 promised to do at 10.30. Accordingly, at that hour 1 'hoarded the vessel, and assembled, all tho firemen and trimmers on hoard, also the greasers (twenty-one in all), and discussed matters with them for fully an hour and a quarter. During this discussion it Tras pointed out for their information that the shipping law,s, rightly or wrongly, permitted a ship proceeding to sea a fifth short of her complement of firemen or a fifth short of her trimmers if .she were unable to obtain men at the hour appointed for her departure, explaining that by this the Maori could legally put to sea with twelve firemen, or with eight trimmers. After this tho men admitted that the course they took the previous evening was wrong by law/ and admitted also that they were unacquainted with this provision of the Shipping Aot. It was then pointed out that the ship was shorthanded six firemen, and that there would be some difficulty in getting that number to make up the full complement, consequently it was decided that if three firemen could he procured to mafee up twelve firemen for the trip they would go to sea under reduced steam, namely, with two boilers off. This undertaking the firemen and trimmers stood to, and, personally, I used the rest of the'day in a'determined effort to get six firemen to mako up the full complement for full power, but my efforts were not successful, mainly because there were not many men about owinc to the nature of the weather. "The ship was up to sail at o p.m., and by 4.45 three firemen had been secured, and they had signed articles. Two of these were travelling as passengers, but to oblige the union and myself they agreed to take the ship, to Lyttelton to meet the convenience of the large number of passengers on board. By 5 o'clock all the firemen, trimmers,' greasers, and sailors were ready and waiting to put to sea under reduced steam, it having been previously arranged with the master that owing to the state of the sea at tho heads the ship should proceed at full power till the entrance to Wellington harbour was cleared, when two boilers should be-cut-off, but just at this time the ship's engineers claimed that one of the two firemen mentioned was under the influence of drink and that they refusod to proceed to sea with him, at the same time demanding another man in his place, which demand I refused. This was the only man of the whole ship's company having the slightest sign of liquor, and he was not by any means drunk or incapable, and beyond that it was not necessary for him to go on 'duty till midnight or 4 a.m. I left the ship at 6.15, and he was then asleep. He woke at 8.30 in his proper senses and. fit to do his work there and then if needs he. "Beyond that, one other of the firemen stated that if this man was unable to do his work, he would do his watch for him, but all this did not please the engineers, who caused the ship to he held up from 5 to 10.30 p.m., during which they had a couple of meetings at the Institute rooms to decide if a fireman was intoxioated. The master of the ship was present when this man signed articles at 4.45, and in reply to my question, and as master of the ship, stated that he was agreeable to him signing.

''Firemen and trimmers have been blamed and unnecessarily maligned for allegedly holding up ships, but in numbers of instances of this nature officers hava made tho balls for the men to fire. In this instance I want th© public to plainly understand that on Tuesday the departure of the Maori was. delayed for 5J- hours by the engineers of the ship, who were at the same time committing a breach of the War Regulations appertaining to strikeß and the mercantile marine, which, have punished quite a number of seamen, and now, it may be asked, 'What are the authorities going to do regarding the engineers?" Is it to he a case of 'fish for one and flesh for the other h" I was present with the master (Captain Walton) and the chief engineer of the ship when the third engineer (Oairnß) announced that the engineers refused to go to sea. On Friday last these same engineers caused a fireman named Hogan to be put on shore at 7.30 beoause, in their unquestionable judgment, he was alleged to be under the influence of drink. This was done notwithstanding that this man was not required to go on duty till midnight; but the company was afterwards forced by thd union to pay his wages while he was on shore, also his board and residence, and he was sent back to the ship on Monday. "When did engineers inherit the power to sit in judgment on drunkenness ? By what power do they hold up a piece of the mercantile marine because, in their judgment, some person on board is intoxicated? One could understand some bit of reason in it if a man was incapablo of doing his work, but in each of tihe two. cases referred to neither man was required to. go to work till midnight, which, in tho case of Tuesday, would hare been seven hours after the ship sailed. The Seamen's Union does not condone incapability on the part of any of its members, neither will it permit engi»eers to use this class of victimisation on them, and it is just as well for them to know this at once, beoause the knowledge of it may save some trouble in future."