Image TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage Tile
Image size: 6656x7680 Scale: 35% - PanoJS3
Page overview thumbnail

Article text

new zealand shipping.
ASIATIC CREWS.
BILL TO PREVENT UNFAIR
COMPETITION.
WELLINGTON, Wednesday.
The Minister for Marine (Mr. Miller),
in moving the second reading of the Ship
ping and Seamen's Amendment Bill, which
is designed to prevent crews composed of
Asiatics competing against crews composed
of Britishers, said the bill proposed that
ships so manned should eomjily with our
laws relating to manning and tho rate of
wages prevailing on ships running between
New Zealand and Australia. At present
inn i'. ana JJ. Lornjiany was running vossels
between Sydney and Auckland, and charg
ing i'2 more per passage than the Union or
Huddart, Parker companies. If this mea
sure became law it would .-imply mean that
instead of that £2 going to -the P. and O.
Company it would enter the coffers of the
State. He thought tbe time had arrived
when, in order to protect the white sea
men in this part of the world, some such
provision should bo made. This measure
and the Australian law in reganl to ships
trailing between Australian ami Tasmania!!
ports should go home together to he con
sidered by the Imperial Oiinfetence.
The Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward)
said the measure was introduced
with the intention of preserving
the interests of New Zealand's mer
cantile marine, which had taken many
years to establish. If some such law was
not passed the competition would necessi
tate our intercolonial boats being manned
by la- cars and Asiatics, or eke manned by
Europeans receiving a rate of wages no
higher than that now pai l to colored crews.
That was the crux oi the whole problem,
lie looked upon it as very important that
this bill should bo passed, so that New
Zealand s representative at the coining im
perial Conference would have his hands
strengthened, lie did not want to see the
P. and O. Company's boats shut out oi
New Zealand ports, but the Government
would have to see that British officers and
seamen, with their homes in .this country,
were not couzoelled to enter into competi
tion with crews which did not earn a liv
ing wage.
The Jjeader of the Opposition: Would a
Chinese cook on a ship uring a vessel with
in the scope oL-theract?
Mr. Miller: Yes. The P. and 0. boats
were not the only, ones in these waters
manned by ccjiored labor. The timber and
coal trade at one time had almost passed
.into the hands of boats jioorl.v manned by
'cheap foreign crews.
The bill was read a second 'time without
division.
$