TROUBLE BREWING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 87, 3 October 1911, Page 5

TROUBLE BREWING.

AMONG SEAMEN AND OFFICERS. By Telegraph— Press Association. .' .' Auckland, List Night. a 11 IS _, unofficially tlwt the Auckland Seamen's Union has decided' to apply for the cancellation of its rcjrisr.f, " n Im(J P r the Arbitration Act. there were, it i ; s stated, from 10 to 20 members present at the meeting at which the decision was arrived at out of' a • f T five to six hundred financial members, which comprises the -on n. Au.klaiid Union's agreement l, r\r T Wners ev ' )ired 12 months ago last March, and apparently no fresh terms of agreement have been submittal The secretary of the Auckland Union I (Mr Xneen) says he is not in a position to discuss the matter at present | An officer in the Auckland coastal fleet, when asked to-day whether he thought there was a possibility of a strike there, in sympathy with the Wellington officers, said it was impossible to say what wouid happen. A .laim for an award respecting the Auckland i 3 errice had Wn filed under the Arbitration Act, and was to have come before the Court during the present sitting, but ships' officers all through the Dominion were so dissatisfied with the Arbitration Court award in Wellington that he believed the officers in Auckland would seek to withdraw their claim for ain award .there. In fact, he knew that that course had been advised by Captain Watson (sec re tan- of the Merchant Service Guild). It* was, he declared:, absolutely beyond his compre- v henaion as to how the Court could have declared that it was a fair thing for officers to work 20 hours out of the 24. Here in Auckland officers in thq coastal fleets were now working 30 hours out of 48, and they wanted less than that, but evidently the Arbitration Court thought they should work more. A meeting of officere had been called to consider the desirability of taking action, but unanimity as to the course to be taken had not prevailed.

CASE BEFORE ARBITRATION' COURT. ' Auckland, Last Night. At tJie Arbitration Court to-day, in the sliip and, boat building trad-e dispute, the union's representative said all points but wages, limitation of apprentices, and the term of the award, had been settled before the Conciliation Council. The union was asking for Is Sd an hour'all round, the rate prevailing all over the Dominion, except at Auckland. The employers offered Is 3d an hour for shipwrights and Is 2d for boatbuilders. Mr. Justice Sim said an agreement had been arrived at in 1909, and it was for the union to show that conditions had so changed that the increase was necessary, and this they had not done. After evidence had been taken, the Court (reserved its decision.

ANCHOR LlNfc MAY BE LAID UP. Nelson, Last Night. Unless the coastal sliipping trouble is settled within two or three dajyx it is probaMe that the whole of the Anchor fleet will be laid up. The company has arranged for the completion of several * u trip?, but all vessels on return to Nelson; will ibe laid up pending a settlement. It is rumoured that the Union Company's officers may strike in sympathy with those on small vessels, although tiiey are not affected' by the Arbitration Court award. VESSELS HUNG UP. Wellington, Yesterday. Consequent on the mates on several coastal steamers ceasing work in accordance with notice given on Saturday, vessels are at present hung up. The owners are now sitting in conference to consider the position.