MERCANTILE MARINE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 721, 22 December 1933, Page 5

MERCANTILE MARINE

(Press Assn

PUBLIC INVESTIGATION MOVED IN HOUSE OF LORDS NOT THOUGHT NECES'SARY

. — By Telegraph. — Copyright).

Rec. Dec. 21. London, Dec. 20. In the House of Lords, Lord Howe presented the pctition praying for an investigation into the conditions obtaining in the British mercantile shipping service. Lord Howe moved for a pnblie inquiry into the conditions of the service. The navigating and -engineerMg officers of the mercantile marine he said had grievances which were pot due to shipping depression though they were accentuated therehy. The best shipowners were well aware of the position and the officers )vere prepared to abide by the result of an impartial inquiry. He instanced a case of a second officer of one of the biggest lines to the East who received a rnaximum salary of £4 4s a Week and he was not entitled to a pension. The mercantile officers were nothing more than casual labourers. The apprentice system was also abused and a large proportion of the boys from training ships left the service owing to the unsatisfactory conditions. Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish and French owners paid higher wages to their officers than ihe British. Lord Essendon said an inquiry was tnnecessary. The National Maritime Board was an appropriate body to deal with the matter. On the whole the wages paid wei'e reasonable, and officers could not expect more under present conditions.