A SHIPPING CRISIS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 5 March 1913, Page 3

A SHIPPING CRISIS.

UNION COMPANY ENGINEERS. IMPROVED CONDITIONS ASKED FOR. U»ltv>s *.OlllO settlement is arrived •at in the course of a few days, the Union Steam Ship Company's entire licet is likely to be hid up in consequence of dissatisfaction among the engineers, says the New Zealand Times. The engineers in the service oi the company have expressed their intention of giving notice to discontinue work as soon as possible, owing, it is understood, to dissatisfaction with the company's decision not to concede conditions of work and wages similar to those contained in ..the existing Australian Arbitration Court's award. A ballot was recently hc!. r l hv members of the company's engine-room staffs as to what action .should he taken following the conference _between the company's representatives and delegates of the men. Ilns conference failed t;; secure for them the desired increase in wages ami improvement in working conditions; Tim result of the ballot, disclosed lastweek, was an almost, unanimous decision to take drastic steps to obtain the conditions desired. j COMPANY'S STAND. j Mr W. A. Kennedy, local manager of the Union Company, stated to a Times representative on Monday that he had been approached on the subject, and had stated that, so fair as he knew the Union Company would: adhere to their intention of having i the matter brrughfc before the Con- j filiation Council next 'luesdnv, .Ihc Union Company have appointed Messrs -AY. A. Kennedy and- G. Smith (of the company's head office staff) as a<es rors. The engineer-, stress the po«nt that- they have not. appointed assessors, and '.some importance is attach Pel to this fact, in connect ion with, the intention to eea-se work. MAORI MEN MAKE FIRST MO YE The Maori's engineers will give the twenty-four hours' notice required by the Act at Lytteiton to-day. They will therefore leave work at. Wellington to-morrow, if their intention of yesterday is carried out. W eilington Is the port at which the ship's articles were taken out. The law requires that the men cannot leave the vessel unless with the master's consent, at any port other than that at which they joined the. ship. They must also give twentyfour hours' notice of intention to j leave. The engineers of the Monowai, i which sailed for Auckland via ports last evening, will probably give notice prior to their arrival back at Dunedin next week. The engineers of the Flora, which sailed last evening for Picton, New Plymouth and the West Coast, also will give notice to ceaise work on ap- j preaching their "home" port'. Deve» lopments are expected to-day regarding the engineers of the Pateena, I which is due back at Wellington this , evening from NeEon and Picton. ' UNION SECRETARY RETICENT. Mr T. Wallace, secretary .of the In- j stitut? of Marine Engineers, stated that at present lie has 1° dis- j close to the press, and COUld £'.Ve nO | particulars regavdi'ig the men's intentions. The inonthly meeting of the Institute of Marine Engineers was held yesterday, when there was a large attendance of members. Nothing that transpired was available for publication. If the entire fleet of the Union Company is affected about three hundred engineers will be involved.

■CHIEF POINT OF DIFFERENCE. • QUESTION OF OVERTIME. | (By Telegraph. —Press Association.) WELLNGTON, Last Night. J In connection with the dispute between the Institute of Marine Engineers and the Onion Company, the chief point of difference is on the question of overtime. The engineers 1 are asking for the same rates of pay ' as have been awarded by the Federal ■Arbitration Court to the Australian branch of the Institute, and also for I the same conditions as to hours of work and overtime. In effect the Federal Court has given the engineers an eight-hour day, with extra payment per hour for all time worked in ex- | cess of this. I The company, it is understood, is prepared to give the men the Austra- j linn rates of wages, but the only con- j cession in. regard to overtime is that 1 the engineer may be paid as much as £2 per month in respect to time wo l'ked in excess of the night-hours' day, but 110 more. It is assorted on behalf of Ilie men

that they .regularly work <1 largo number of hours overtime, and is not considered sufficient reward for such work. It is understood that 92 per cent, of the engineers are in favour of a strike. Tho Ma raroa \s engineers came asboro to-day, MATAI'S- MEN GIVE NOTICE. DUNEDTN, Last Night. The engineers on the Matai have given 24 hours' notice to the Union Company of their intention to leave, which expires at Lytteiton to-morrow. It is asserted that they received instruction not to «ign on, but these were received too late.

A GREAT SURPRISE. MEN REFUSE TO GO TO THE COURT. DUNEDIN, Last Night. The Union Company officials stated to a 'Sftar 'representative that tho precipitate action of the engineers came as a great .surprise, being out of all proportion to tlie points of difference. A conference of a friendly character had been held. Tho questions of overtime and holidays wentho only .substantial points in dispute. The proposals made by the company we-re practically the terms of the current agreement with the OHieer.-.' Guild. The Engineers' Institute was registered under tho Arbitration Act, yet it would not agree to go to the Court although the company was wiling.

HOPES 'OF SETTLEMENT. WELLINGTON. Last Night, It appears that the Mararoa's men only gavo notice to leave the steamer. If a settlement is not effected, they will come out in twenty-four hours. The Hon. W~. F. Massey will preside at a meeting of the parties tomorrow. Hopes are entertained of a settlement