THE ENGINEERS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 5 March 1913, Page 5

THE ENGINEERS.

'AND THE THREATENED STRIKE. MOVEMENTS OF STEAMERS. (By Telegraph. —Press Association.) CHRISTCHUROH, Last Night. The Maori sailed to-night as usual, with a larga number of passengers, including members of the Empire Trade Commission. Included in the passengers were a number who had Looked by the Remuera, to sail from ■Wellington on Thursday. The Maitai, which has been recommissioned to relieve the Tnrawera • 011 the East Coast service, left Port "Chalmers for Lytt-elton this afternoon, In the event of 110 settlement being arrived at, her engineers will go ashore at Lyttelton to-morrow. Several engineers -who were approached by a pressman, were very reticent concerning their troubles. 'They declined to cliscuss matters. All, however, expressed tho determination to see tho matter through at all costs. One admitted that they were taking an extreme step in giving no notice, and so holding steamers up. They asserted that they had been •forced by the inaction of the Union Company. The engineers wanted the same conditions as were embodied the Australian award. They contend that this was definitely nr; mised by the Union Company. The company now repudiated that promise, and cited the Institute to appear before the Conciliation Council.

SIR JAMES MILLS INTER VIEWE D THE MATTERS IN DISPUTE. ."DUNEDIN, Last Night. In the course of an interview to-day Sir James Mills stated that a number of notices had been given by tho engineers 011 various steamers, but ail agreement had been arrived at whereby tho engineers had decided to keep , the vessels running pending consideration of the dispute at an early date hy the Prime Minister and the Conciliation Commissioner. Overtime and holiday leave are apparently the chief matters in dispute. It is stated that the engineers want a 48-hours' week and payment for ■overtime. It is. stated that some of the. vessels are notorious for the amount of overtime required to keep the machinery in order, while on others practically no overtime is necessary. It is believed a -18-hours' week will be. strongly insisted on by the engineers, who claim that the Merchant Service Guild is dissatisfied with the 56-hours' week agreed to by that body at the last conference with tho Union Company. IN AUCKLAND: TWENTY-FOUR HOURS' NOTICE .GIVEN. AUCKLAND, Last Night. It is reported that the engineers on four of the Union Company's vessels in Auckland gave twenty-four hours' notice to cease work this afternoon. Tho vessels _concerned are tho Wanoka, Rakanoa, Whangapo and Rosamond.