"UNFAIR COMPETITION"

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 59, Issue 256, 1 December 1930, Page 4

"UNFAIR COMPETITION"

Per Press Association.

CHEAP LABOUR OF YANKEE SH1PS. j VISIT OF THE MALOLO.

WELLINGTON, This day. Mr F. P. Walsh, president of the Seamen's Union, in an interview states that to the seafaring section of the community there is a serious aspeet to the visit of the luxury liner Malolo, as the vessel entered into the inter-colo-nial trade hy carrying over 1000 hags of mail from Sydney, besides bringing passengers from Sydney to tlieir ports of destination, Wellington and Auckland, thus competing with New Zealand and Australian shipping " comjianies. Like all otlier American shipping companies she carries" a heavy Government subsidy. ..... In spite of the subsidies, the wages paid and the conditions of emplo.yment imposed on seamen a board American sliips are far below tlie standard tliat would have to bo complied with were the vessels nnder "the marine laws of New Zealand and Australia. Owing to lack of trade, brought about hy the unfair competitjon. of ihe highly subsidised clieap lahour of foreign shippmg companies tliere were at the present time a large number of boats laid up in all the main ports of New Zealand. As the Matson Company proposes to build two fui-ther passenger hoats of the Malolo tvpe to enter tlie trans-Pacific trade, tliey wonld probably make Auckland the pori of call 011 voyages to and from Svdney. If they took passengers from Sydney to Wellington and Auckland, .and carry mails, their unfair_ competition will increase the unemployed -here and in Australia. In view of American ' vessels being protected on their own seahoard against competitfbn from ontside shipping companies, tlie companies omploying New Zealand and Australian seamen and complying with the wages and conditions of employment should be protected against "tlie unfair competition" of the highly subsidised clieap labonr of Yankee ships.