THE MARITIME DISPUTE. LABOUR TROUBLES IN SYDNEY. THE MARIPOSA AND THE MARATIME CONFERENCE. HOW THE COAL WAS OBTAINED FOR THE MARIPOSA.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 291, 18 August 1888, Page 6

THE MARITIME DISPUTE. LABOUR TROUBLES IN SYDNEY. THE MARIPOSA AND THE MARATIME CONFERENCE. HOW THE COAL WAS OBTAINED FOR THE MARIPOSA.

The mail steamer jMariposa arrived from Sydney early on Sunday evening-, having reached this port; c?? route, ior San Francisco, notwithstanding Lho serious opposition raised by the Maritime Conference and Federal ed Unions in con sequence of Captain 1-J ay wind's refusul to discharge his Chinese crew and take on board an Australian one. The Maiiposa left Sydney at 4 o'clock on the afternoon of Wednesday last according' to time-table, and the shipment of caitro had been carried on all that day, the previous day, and the in ervening night, with the aid" ot the ship s own crew. It was expected that theio would be in the form ot a Unionist demonstration on the wharf prior to the Maripossa's departure, but the presence cf the police, who had been on duty in increa&ed force since the beginning of the difficulty, had a detorrent effect. The Mariposa was therefore permitted to leave the wharf without any demonstration from that quarter, but as the steamer made oil' an eitigy. evidently intended to represent Captain Hayward, was brought out from the shoie m a small boat and bet on lire. The " dummy," however, pro\ed refiactory, and disappeared over the side of the small craft after a very brief flare-up. The Seamen's Union at this poi t icceived no instructions with leference to the Mariposa, and consequently, the steamer was not inteifcred with here in any way She ha- on board coal obtained at Sydney, and she also took in an additional supply heie, which will carry her to the end of her voyage. Captain Hay ward has on boaid 33 Chinese out of a crew of about 100, and he ha& come to no terms with the Conference as to whether or not he >\ill leturn with them, or replace them with European lalour on arrival at San Francisco. The R.M.s. Zealandia is due to arrive here on Friday next, and she will reach Sydney about the following Tuesday. It is not known what course the Maritime Conference will adopt with regard to her, the Zealandia aUo having Chinese firemen, but it is understood that no diiliculty will be experienced in obtaining coal for her. It is stated that the agents have secured enough coal in Sydney to last even beyond the Zealandia, considerable purchases having lecently been made on their behalf. The coal for the" Mariposa was purchased from the North Illawara Company by Mr Ste^ait, formerly Vice-Consul at Sidney, and the money was paid oxer to the colliery company long before it wab known twit the coal was intended for the Oceanic Company.

THE SEAMEN'S UNION AND THE SHII'OWN RKS' ASSOCIATION. With lrg.-ud to the abo\c dispute the Sydney ' Tuc,: ,iph '' of Wednesday last sny.-> : '"The pn.M-nt crisis began with a ieque&( from tl-u sc.mien to the shipowners ior a conieioneo iv be held with :i view to tenr.iuatiiiu- the New Zealand diihonlty." This Wr»s declined, but Mr Jfoigu&on added : — "I am, however, to iniunn you that should your union bo picp;iied to enter on a general arbitration upon all existing differences and disputes betu eon the various members of the association and your union, the decisions of such mbitiation to be binding upon both jmilk-s ioi a tcrmofytars, "with a money penally, thi- association a\ ill be willing to do so, feeling confident that this is thy only practical way of dealing ■nith any existing differences. ' This has a fair .-omul. Further parleying ensued, and then, on July 24th, the shipownero' proposal- wcie foimulated and for warded. The-^e provided for the settlement of the grievances of both parties. The .seamen'.-s repiesc -tativos next raised the issue of a»i alleged attack upon the eighthours system In the owners. Nothing came of that ; the owners- stoutly denied that they intended .mything of the kind, and the men weie unab<<; to demonstrate that they did intend it. An ambiguous expression in the cone.-pondence piobably originated the suspicion. At tlii'a point the union hoisted the ralliag. "As we are conKdent," Ml Davis "the difficult)' A\ith the Northern S.S. Company would have been settled etc this but for the intervention of the A.»S.»S O. Association, no now hold that body responsibleforthecMstingdispute, and shall take such retaliatory measures b) foiming alliance.- and otherwise as may peisuado the S.S.O. A--,uciation to induce ihcN.S.S. Company to conform to the rates of wages, hours of labour, &c, and which shipping companies cheerfully pay their employes." On .July 27 bh the union rciteiated the c barge that a direct attack upon the eight-hours system was intended, and then followed the threat. "1 am instructed to inform you,'" wrote Mr Davis, " that upon a given date all labour will he withdrawn from vessels ot your association."

IN ULTIMATUM ON THE FOREIGN LABOUR QUESTION. It will be seen from our cable new- today that the 12th of Septembei has been fixed as the date when all vessels employing Asiatic- must leplacc them with European crews. This imolves not only tiie »San Francisco mail steamers, but al»o the P. and 0. boats, -which me manned by Lascars and others, and the matter in dispute has consequently developed very serious proportions.