FIREMEN PLAY UP.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 148, 9 November 1912, Page 6

FIREMEN PLAY UP.

TROUBLES OF A SHIP'S CAPTAIN - . On Wednesday morning the prospects were, t'iiat. the day would be an eventful one"aboard' the steamer Rakaia ...(says the Dominion). : On, Tuesday seven of the steamer's fiit'ernqn themselves from the vessel .without leave, and this delayed her 'departure. The seven were before the Court on Wednesday morning, and were all sentenced to forty-eight hours' imprisonment, and ordered to be placed aboard the vessel when it sailed. As the vessel was waiting to move off as soon as possible, this meant that they were, despatched to the ship right away. The disaffected ones had been engaged at Sydney, and in court one of them said "that their reason for leaving the Rataia was that they discovered a "scab" on board. It was thought by some, that the. men alight remain obdurate, and that a con : sequence would be the return of the vessel to portjthe-samc day. It was stated that the captain had said that there had been a (fight a day on-the .way.over, and it was remembered that one of the men had remarked from the dock that the Rakaia! would not sail with them on board.

However, tlie skipper expressed, a determination to get up enough steam to "crawl outside the Heads." This was interpreted to mean that he was going to put the firemen in the position of' working or running the risk of being charged with mutiny on the high seas, * charge which can be made, under certain circumstances, when a vesesl has sailed, three miles out. For an offence of the kind alluded to the men would be liable to imprisonment for one year. The skipper had obtained a copy of the Act, and this he was to read to his firemen, in order to make their position clear to j-them. "Lead, kindly light," remarked one of the seven to the policeman who led the way from Lambton Quay Station to the cabs which took them all to the Ferry Wharf. They were put aboard the Karalca, and taken out tt> the Rakaia; and (contrary to the fears of some of those concerned), the Rakaia had not put back< that ni;;ht.