THE VERY LATEST.

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

THE VERY LATEST.

ANOTHER CONFERENCE SUG- ' ' : GESTED. ■ - MARINE ENGINEERS STAND FIRM. gqvernment"steamers DESERTED. BLUEJACKETS MAY. TAKE A HAND. WELLINGTON, Last Night. Jitters connected with the strike were quiet-to-night, except-for the 'disturbances at Mount Cook. : A well-attended-' meeting in Newtowiv Park was addressed by strike leaders. Mr R. Fletcher, chairman of the Harbour Board( made an attempt thus evening to arrange another conference but the employers .decided that in view of the attitude of- "the men s •representatives this> afternoon, .>,210 ! gj&od; object will be served by nieetiug J ?the same representatives again, nriless firet assured that they are prepared tp reconsider their decision not to come nnde>i' 'the Arbitration Act- , It is believed'that no attempt will be made to work £ho ships by free labour to-mornv. . . -1 "Our members will not join the strike. There 19 not even a tendency amongst tljem to do £O," declared Mr T Wallace, secretary of the, Marine Engineers Institute (Wellington. ,branch.), when afked how the Institute members stood in tlie trouble. The (engineers, he said, were working under an agreement which was made into an Arbitration Act award at the express wisli of the employers, Ilaving entered into the agreement, the engineers would stick to it absolutely lqvally, and would -fulfil their part of the bargain. . Mr Wallace also stated that a wrong- impression ' nacfi been conveyed, by the newspaper references to tii© agreement botwoen the Marine Engineers Institute and ;the Merchant Service G uil d. f There, waanothing; partfculfi i-ly new ' about the agreement, which, would affect t.lO engineers concerned, ' and no ; one else. In any case it- was at present merely a tentative agreement,, foV though it, had been accepted by the Wellington branch of the Institute, it had yet to he-approved by the Institute itself. Thus, the Guild could not call upon "the Institute under th ? agreement just now. Late on Monday night the seamen and firemen on "the Government steamer Hinemoa intimated that they lfi,tended to . leave the vessel. Ir. accordance with this resolve they waned on ©aptain Bolloris at 7.50 a'n. to-day, and gave 24 hours' notice of their intention to come out. 5 p.m. Cantain Bollons made arrange ments for the men to be paid, after which they walked off the vessel. Nine eeamen arid five firemen left. The Hinemoa was to have left' for the Cook Strait lighthouses wiih stores to-day, ( but. she will now be

held up. It is understood that the authorities to-day failed to make up a. crow for the Government steamer Tuianekai, which it is proposed should be ready as an emergency veissel for the ferry service, as the Hinemoa was to have left port to-morrow. In the event of the crews being unobtainable for both the Hinenoa and the Tutanekai, it is understood that bluejackets from H.M.S. Psyche will work on one or both vessels in order that communication between the two islands may be uninterrupted.