A MINOR MUTINY

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 5, 28 March 1927, Page 11

A MINOR MUTINY

SEAMEN IMPEDE VOYAGE ONE MONTH'S HARD LABOUR (Special to THE SUN.) CHRISTCHURCH. To-day. X Somali, two Danes, and a British subject —members of the crew of the steamer Harmattan —appeared before Magistrate Mosley this morning, as a result of falling foul of the captain in the course of the voyage. The Somali was charged with continued disobedience to lawful commands, and (with his three colleagues) with combining to impede the progress of the voyage. Counsel said the badness of the food e Somali’s grievance. It was ventilated when the ship was leaving Honolulu, and the master was under necessity of claDping him in irons, and feeding him on oread and water, which induced him to return to duty. On arrival at Lyttelton the trouble broke out again. The disaffected men wanted to quit ship, but the master refused to pay them off. As a protest they decided to refuse work, and were arrested. After the case had been put before the court the magistrate gavh them the opportunity of returning voluntarily to the ship, with imprisonment as the alternative. If they had any further complaints they could make them to the Marine Superintendent. The men stubbornly refused to return to the ship, anti each was sentenced to a month with hard labour They are to be put aboard the ship before she leaves New Zealand. *