“MILITANT SEAMEN”

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 246, 7 January 1928, Page 7

“MILITANT SEAMEN”

GRAVE TROUBLE THREATENED FIGHT TO FINISH MAY DEVELOP By Cable.—Press Association. — Copyright. Received 9.5 a.m. MELBOURNE, To-day. THE Commonwealth Steamship Owners’ Federation, in a statement regarding the seamen’s dispute, says the difficulty which has been created in connection with the stopwork meeting is only a part of the whole system of militant tactics which is being employed by certain officials of the Seamen’s Union and other maritime unions, with a reckless disregard of the consequences.

question is not merely one of a seaman being absent without leave for a few hours, but it is one of certain officials of the union pursuing their destructive tactics, and ordering the rank and file to defy the masters of steamers and the owners, to break the agreement and articles they signed without any regard to the disastrous consequences to the men themselves, the public and the industry. “It is quite obvious that such action is subversive to all discipline, and that no industry can be maintained while such conduct is tolerated. The shipowners are making, and have made, strong efforts to put a stop to this job control. They feel they can confidently look to the public and the Press to support them strongly in the stand they are making, not only in the intersts of the industry, but of the community which .it serves. “It is to be regretted that on each occasion, their action has been unsuccessful, owing to outside interference

from sources to which they might reasonably have looked for the strongest support in any effort to uphold law and order.” SERIOUS DEVELOPMENT A serious development has occurred in the dispute. Eight seamen of the inter-State liner Ormiston, which arrived at Sydney from Melbourne yesterday, gave notice, and as efforts to obtain men to fill their places proved abortive, the owners have given the remainder of the crew notice and indefinitely postponed the sailing of the vessel. It is anticipated that the steamer Canberra, which is several firemen short in its complement, will be similarly affected. At a meeting of the Seamen’s Union it was decided to resist any attempt of the owners to deprive the men of time off to attend stop-work meetings. The dispute may now develop Into a fight to a finish between the men and the owners.—A. and N.Z.