STEWARDS' STRIKE.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 December 1920, Page 5

STEWARDS' STRIKE.

AVENUES FOR RECONCILIATION. MUCH TONNAGE IDLE. By Telegraph.—Press .&Ssß—Copyright. Sydney, Dec. 29. The recommendation of the Transport Workers' Federation was rejected by a mass meeting of stewards who now state that 'there are only two avenue.* open for reconciliation, a conference with the ship owners, or the appointment of a special tribunal. Coastal owners are meeting the strikers' representatives on Tuesday. Inter-State owners are maintaining an attitude of no coM-.romlse, insisting on the men resuming work unconditionally before a conference can be held. Only stewards on the Australian articles have left the Moeraki. About a dozen on the New Zealand articles are expected to stand by. The company announces that the Moeraki will sail for Wellington to-morrow. Efforts will also be made to dispatch the Manuka and Maheno, as portion of their crews are on New Zealand articles. As the crews of the various vessels are paid off the ships will be tied up in the stream. An enormous amount of tonnage is already idle at Sydney, Newcastle, and in Melbourne it 'is estimated that 40,000 tons are idle.

TRANS-PACIFIC SAILINGS ALTERED. Dunedin, Dec. 29. Owing to the cancellation of the Niagara's trip to Vancouver as the lvmlt of the stewards' strike, it has been found necessary to make some altera - tion to-the time-table of trans-Pacific mail steamers. The Tahiti will leave San Francisco on January 4 for Wellington, via Honolulu, Papeete and Rarotonga, and 13 due at Wellington about January 2S. The Marama will proceed from San Francisco to Vancouver, leaving the latter on January 12 for Honolulu, Suva, Auckland and Sydney in place of the Niagara. The Ma'kura, due in Auckland about January 0. from Vancouver, proceeds to Sydney, leaving the latter on January 13' and Auckland on January 38 for Vancouver via ports.

The principal point now in dispute between the stewards of the Australian niter-State marine and their employers apparently relates to a reduction of"the "spread"—the period over which it is permissible to spread the day's work. On behalf of the employers it' is pointed out, according to the' Melbourne Age, that in June last an award was made by the Arbitration Court, based on a ton hours' day at sea within a stretch of fifteen hours. Under this award the greater number of stewards employed on passenger vessels classed as first .grade stewards received in actual wages £l3 10s per month. In addition to that there was "keep," which was assessed at £3 17s fld. On the Loongana the average overtime payment worked out in -.November at £4 12s. Under present conditions the wages, keep, and overtime amounted to £2l Ifls fld per month, irrespective of "tips" received from passengers. The stewards, being dissatisfied with these conditions, approached the owners, who offered an eight-hour day,' with additional payment at ordinary rates for the first two hours, and after that full overtime pay.. But they could, not see their way to reduce the "spread" stretch of fifteen hours. The concession offered would have represented, it is said, in the case of each steward working ten hours a day, an additional £3 Is fid per month, bringing the amount of wages, keep and overtime to £25 7s. If the full claim of the stewards were granted, wages, keep and overtime Would amount to £2B per month, and in addition there would be full overtime rates for any work done before 0.30 a.m. and after S p.m. i

It is estimated by Mr. W. Appleton. chairman of the Australian Steamship Owners' Federation, that an additional expenditure of about £130,000 a. year in running the coastal vessels would be incurved if the claims of the stewards wei't conceded in full. Portion of this added cost would be passed on to the travelling public. With similar concessions to cooks and bakers,, the additional annual expenditure would bo increased to about £120,000.