SHIPPING DIFFICULTY AT ROCKHAMPTON. STRIKE ON THE BALMORAL CASTLE.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 418, 9 November 1889, Page 6

SHIPPING DIFFICULTY AT ROCKHAMPTON. STRIKE ON THE BALMORAL CASTLE.

A kecknt serious disagreement between the Rockhampton branch of the Federated Wharf Labourers' Union and the Colonial Union Shipping Company resulted last Saturday week in 11 seamen of the Balmoral Castle b'jine imprisoned at the instance of Captain Barne?, the master. A telegram to a Sydney paper thus explains the difficulty :—lt: — It has been a custom that has locally existed for 25 years or so tor wharf labourers going down the Fiteroy River to Keppel Bay to be paid from the time they leave tho wharf at Bockhampton until their return theieto. This is the present arrangement with the Biitish India Steamship Company, i nd their agents hero are perfectly satisfied with it. To explain the situation it will be necessary to stato that the ships of the Colonial Union Company call at this port for frozen meat from 'the works of the Central Queensland Export Company. The meat is taken by a tender to tho ship 3 while riding at anchor in the bay, as the depth of water in t^he river will not admit of such vessels c up. The tender only takes enough meat from the works at one time to afford employment for five or six hours, and a number of men must bo at hand to' stow it away before it becomes softened by tho sun. Owing to tho peculiarities of the ca^e, Capt. Todd, the local superintendent for the shipping company, asked the labouters to enter into a special agreement. The matter wa? considered and several agreements were drafted and submitted to him. He chose one that has been worked under up to the present. The men were to be allowed Is per hour while going up and down the river, and 15t a day from 6 o'clock in the morning: till 6 o'clock in the evening. The standing rule is Is per hour from the time of leaving the wharf at Bockhampton to the time of returning. The men come back as soon as their work is done, usually being away 24 houis. The new agreement was framed with the idea of allowing the men to stay down two or three days. At the beginning of the week Captain Todd refused to allow the Is an hour for going up and down the river, and the men then working have brought an action, which will be heard in Court on Monday. Captain Todd then said he would do without the union, and he and Captain Barnes decided to stow away the cargo with the crew. The sailors on the Balmoral Castlo do not belong to any union, and probably would have proceeded with the work, but the firemen and engineers, who are Union men, said to them that in face of the recent liberality shown by the Australians in the London dock strike it would be ungenerous to take work away from the wharf labourers. Beyond this very charitable view of tho question, there was another motive, and it was that the crew were only paid 2s 6d a day, and they could not see the force of doing the work of men paid 15s for that amount. The crew therefore refused to work. Captain Todd was then placed in an awkward predicament. The third and fourth engineers would not assist to unload the tender, but the stewards and other officers and Captain Todd set to work. Captain Barnes immediately came up to Rockhampton and secured warrants for the arrest of all his crew. The sailors have taken this action independent of any -.collusion with the local branch of the Wharf Labourers' Union. The secretary says he was more surprised than the public when he heard of the strike. Captain Barnes says he does not care for the Union, and does not recognise it. When asked if at other ports he would employ union labour, he said, " Yes, if more convenient." Captain Todd in future will try and load the Company's boat? with non-union men. On Saturday he picked up a number and had them away for 12 hours, for which time he paid them 10s. There is more wool shipped here than at any other .port in Queensland, and the Union is strong, there being oyer 200 names on the book,--The men in the Union say that the Company will not be able" to get sufficient labourers outside the union. Captain Todd thinks he can, as the local branch of the Wharf Labourers' Union intend to withdraw the special agreement and place this Company on the same footing as the 8.1.5. N. Company. The 11 imprisoned seamen were brought before the local Court next morning. The accused made application for an adjournment of the case on the ground that their counsel was away at Mount Morgan. The prisoners also asked that the boatswain and chief officer should be allowed to attend as witnesses. Captain Barnes said the chief officer could not leave the ship and he could not come as a witness ; nor would he aHord the men any facilities for bringing the boatswain up the river from Keppel Bay. The Bench said they would see what could be done in the matter. Bail was refused the men, who were sent to prison, the lockup being too small for them. A case brought by the local branch of the Seamen's Union against Captain Todd was given against the Union. This was a test case, one of the labourers* summoning Captain Todd for river expenses. * A later telegram says : — For' a "couple of days negotiations have been pending between Captain Todd and the' Wharf Labourers' Union regarding a fixed arrangement. The captain finds it difficult to work the ship outside the Union, and is desirous of coming to terms. The men feel confident of dealing with the difficulty and settling matters satisfactorily. The work of loading frozen meat is peculiar, and experienced" labourers are required. The men would like to come to amicable terms, as the trade is a gio.ving one and likely to assume very large proportions.