THE SHIPPING TROUBLE.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 January 1919, Page 5

THE SHIPPING TROUBLE.

THE FJLRKY SERVICE. DISLOCATION POSSIBLE. Wellington, Jan. J5. The announcement tl at tne Maori would not sell lor Lytteltjii to-nigui was not mada early enough to avoid* causing inconvenience to many intending passengers, Mo/.cns o£ peopla did not discover that iht boat waa to fit ay in Wellington until tiiey wont to tin; ferry wharf shortly bel'ore the sailing liour The M.aori came from Ljttelton last night with twe boilers inactive owing to tlie shortage of iiremen The position hero to-day was that eleven liremen wei'3 needed to take tlie beat south again, and the men who were available demanded p<iy at the rale o£ a day. It was not clear that a lull complement could be secured even at this rate, but the. company, in any case, refused to pay and decided before 5 p-m. to hold the Maori in Wellington. Many rumors of impending industrial trouble have been in circulation in Wellington lately, but your correspondent v/as unable to learn that any special significance attached to the present hold up. Jiremen are admittedly in short supply at the present lime and they are disposed to take full rdvar.tage of their position They are entrenched behind a clause of the Shipping and Seamen's Act, requiring a man to have three months' experience as a trimmer before he can ship as fireman The union ofli-c-ers state that the fu'l number of men required were not available and that the demand for extra pay was made by tlie men on their ow-i initiative

Wellington, Last Night. At noon to-day there was apparently little hope of the Mararoa being despatched to Wellington this evening. Sotrn after arrival in LytUlton iliie morning, nme firemen and two trimmer signed off Provided six firemen are obtained, the Mararoa will bo engaged to make the passage to Wellington with two boilers short. It is understood the Mmri requires at least twelve firemen, and when these are secured there will still be two boilers unprovided for It is stated that the Monowai leaves Wellington for Auckland to-night, and therefore there is the possibility of the ferry servico being completely disorganised Wellington, Later. Although short of the requisite numher of firemeii, the Maori w'll sail for Lyttdton to-night. The Mor.owai is being detailed until definite news of the manning of tho Mararc-u, rer-ches lingtonMARAROA HUNG UP. M0P,15 GRIEVANCES. Christolnirch, Last Night.

The ferry steamer Mararoa was hung up at Lyttelton to-mght, being unable to sail for Wellington owing to tho shortage o{ firtnitn. Tbi 1 firemen complaiii about their rjuarters, and say thoy wiil not sail in ihe ship until the conare improved. Soon after tho vessel's arrr'al in Lyttelton this rnovning nine firemen and two trimmers signed oIT. "The men who caAie ashore this morning are runners," said ilr. Sleigh, local manager of the Union "Compar.y to-day. "They receive £2 a day : but tho company has decided to have no more runners, and ii the men will not accept the agreement rates and pay the ship 3 are going to be laid up." TOFCA SAILS WITH AUSTRALIANSWellington, Last Nigiit. Tho steamer Tofua sailed at 3.30 ihU afternoon for Adelaide, en route for England The t«r.k the Australian visitors who have been stranded in Wellington for some time past.

INROAD OP UNION WRECKERS. Sydney, Jan. 17. The Waterside Workers' Federation passed a motion viewing with alarm the steady inroad of union wreckers on the and askino- the seamen to come to tho rescue as brothers in arms. Further, the seamen were requested to notify brothers in England that all steamers sailing from Sydney loaded by non-unionists, and aiso the cargo, are "black." The motion refers to loyalist workers. —Aus -N.Z. Oible Assoc.