Thousand Workless Seamen

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 295, 5 March 1928, Page 1

Thousand Workless Seamen

ULIMAROA HOLD-UP N.Z. Position Quoted in Sydney By Cable.—Pros Association. — Copyright. Received 10.30 a.m. SYDNEY, To-day. A GROUP of New Zealand passengers, held up in Sydney by the cancellation of the sailing of the Ulimaroa, have drawn attention to the amount of unemployment among seamen in the Dominion.

While admitting that the Ulimaroa is on Australian articles, it was recalled that a deputation representing ship’s officers, seamen and stewards, informed the Prime Minister, Mr. J. G. Coates, on February 20, that there were then more than 200 cooks and stewards, and from 700 to 800 eeamen in New Zealand unemployed. Yesterday it was announced that the company had paid off the crew. The cargo will remain in the vessel in the meantime, as it is not known how long she will remain idle. Passage money has been returned to more than 200 passengers. The secretary of the Marine Cooks, Bakers and Butchers’ Union, says the Ulimaroa will not be manned by members of that union. He says the union's original claim was for two extra cooks in the galley, the present complement of which is three cooks. However, in order to assist in getting the ship away on Friday the union reduced its demand to one extra cook. The secretary says the claim is not a sudden one, as it was made some time ago and correspondence has passed between the owners and the union. The dispute concerns only the Ulimaroa, and the union takes the stand that in view of the exceptionally bad conditions under which the men have to work on the vessel the claim for two extra men is amply justified.— A. and N.Z. N.Z. TRIP CANCELLED SIR R. HORNE EXPLAINS Reed. 10.30 a.m. SYDNEY, To-day. Sir Robert Horne, M.P. for Hillhead, Glasgow, sails by the Niagara on Thursday and not by the Tahiti, as previously reported. “I wish to make it perfectly clear,” he says, “that my New Zealand trip was cancelled only because of the dis-

pute between the cooks and owners of the Ulimaroa. “As there seems no likelihood of the steamer sailing for some days to eome, I must abandon all my plans, and go home by the quickest route available.”—A. and N.Z.