Fiji union's triumph and troubles

Taniela Veitata, secretary of the Fiji Waterside Workers’ and Seamen’s Union won solid pay increases and new fringe benefits for Fiji seamen employed by Sofrana-Unilines, then failed in an attempt to get his re cently formed union registered.

The registration attempt failed just as he announced he would serve on employers a claim for a basic

wage of Si a hour for dockers and seamen.

Mr Taniela Veitata was secretary of the Fiji Dockworkers’ and Sea men’s Union, which was deregistered in August for failure to submit ann ual returns to the registrar as re quired by the Trade Union Ordinance.

The agreement covering the Sof rana-Unilines seamen was signed in

Sydney, with officials of some mili tant Australian left-wing unions look ing on. They were the Seamen’s Union, the Waterside Workers Fed eration and the Firemen and Deck hands’ Union. It provides for a basic monthly salary of $134, up to $22 on the previous rate.

Other new monthly salaries, with the old rates in brackets, are: boats wain and electrician, $l7l ($151); chief cook, $l6O ($151); chief steward, $l5l ($131); shipwright, able seamen, greaser No 1, $144 ($128); sailors and greasers, $134 ($112).

It is calculated that the increases will cost Sofrana-Unilines about $l,OOO a month for each of its four ships.

The fringe benefits include insur ance, under an accident benefit con tract registered in Marseilles. For a death by accident on board, the payments are $6,000 for officers’ de pendants and $3,700 for crew depen dants. For permanent total disability through an accident on board the payments are $20,000 for officers and $16,000 for seamen. The men now get 35 days annual leave in stead of 24 days.

The salary increases are above the minimum eight per cent allowed by the Fiji Prices and Incomes Board, but

as the shipping company is based outside Australia, the Fiji guidelines do not apply.

The agreement which was signed on November 13, will be effective for 12 months.

Back in Fiji, the Registrar of Trade Unions, Mr Raman Kurup, refused to register the union led by Mr Vei tata. He also refused to register another maritime union, the Fiji Maritime Workers’ Union, as an al ternative. The application to register the latter union was made by Mr Isireli Vuibau, now the Mayor of Suva, and Mr lone Banuve.

Mr Kurup refused to register the unions because their constitution did not comply with the Trade Unions Ordinance. His office advised that either union could be registered—it depended on which represented the most watersiders and seamen, and whether the constitution was in line with the ordinance.

Mr Veitata said his union would be registered because it had the most members. The assets of the de registered union would be transferred to the new union when it was registered.

Mr Veitata, at first, was unper turbed about the failure of the new union to gain registration. He said he

would lodge the log of claims on the authority of the new union’s first meeting. Later, he added he would not serve the log on shipping com panies until his union was registered.

The claim for $1 an hour was 58c an hour more than the existing rate. The previous union won 42c an hour after its month-long strike in 1971.

Benefits for PNG dockers are also on the way. A roster system, a com mon pool of employment and attend ance money of $1 a day to casual watersiders who attend pick-up and are not employed, are among recom mendations of a board of inquiry to the PNG Government. The board was appointed to investigate the sys tem of employment on the Port Moresby waterfront. The cabinet has endorsed the board’s recommen dations.

The board also recommended a levy, to pay for the new benefits of the 7c a ton on all cargo loaded or discharged by Port Moresby water siders.

The board said that after intro duction of the new benefits there should be an investigation into the system of employment of permanent watersiders, and that licensed steve dores be required to keep detailed information about the deployment of watersiders.

Fiji And Uk Agree

Over Air Routes

Fiji’s airline, Air Pacific, gets rights in British Pacific territories in return for confirming the BOAC trunk route through Fiji, under an agree ment recently initialled by Fiji and Great Britain. British Airways, under the agreement, may operate from London, through specified intermed iate points in the US, to Nadi, and onward to Australia and New Zeal and. Fiji is able to operate through specified intermediate points to Fun afuti, Tarawa and Honiara, and be yond to Majuro, Nauru, Papua New Guinea and Australia.

The initialled agreement is sub ject to the approval of both govern ments. BOAC and Air Pacific have been operating over the various rou tes for several years. Previously Brit ain negotiated air landing rights on behalf of Fiji. Now that Fiji is in dependent she is negotiating rights for services, which in fact, have been in existence for years, on her own behalf.

Australians Buy Into

Fiji Cruise Co

Australian interests have taken up 20 per cent of the issued capital of Fiji Line Ltd, which plans to operate inter-island cruises this year with a 2,500 ton passenger ship. The Aust ralian companies are Northern Ship ping and Stevedoring Ltd (jointly owned by P & O and Mount Isa Mines), Howard Smith Ltd and Adel aide Steamship Co Ltd.

John Swire and Sons Ltd, London, and Partnership Pacific Ltd (a mer chant banker) reduced their holdings m Fiji Line Ltd to allow Northern Shipping and Stevedoring Ltd to buy m. The amount of equity owned and controlled in Fiji will be 50 per cent. , Fi ji. Line Ltd will take delivery of its ship now being refitted in Europe, m July or August. The line plans to run about 50 week-long cruises a year over a circuit covering Levuka, offshore islands round Viti Levu' Lautoka, Savusavu and Taveuni.

Tonga-Japanese

airline planned

King Taufaahau Tupou of Tonga and All Nippon Airlines, of Japan nave agreed in principle to set up a jointly owned Tongan-Japanese air line. The king visited Japan in No vember as the guest of Mr Ryokichi Sasakawa, a director of All Nippon Airlines, who is honorary consul general for Tonga in Tokyo.

He said that ultimately Japan Air Lines might fly to Tonga, via Hawaii, with jumbo jets. This would open up a new route for the rapidly-growing

Japanese tourist market. Tonga would need to lengthen the present strip at Fuaamotu from 6,400 to 10,000 feet to handle the big jet aircraft.

New hangar facilities and staff hous ing would be needed at Fuaamotu.

Talking about the proposed region al services from Tonga the king said routes could be established to West ern and American Samoa, the Cook Islands, Tahiti and possibly New Caledonia. Some Tongans would go to Japan for specialised training in aviation.

Fiji's No' To

Air Charter

Air Hibiscus Ltd, of Fiji, has been refused a licence to operate cheap charter holiday services between Fiji and Europe. A Fiji government official said such flights would damage regular services through Nadi Airport. Air Hibiscus had intended to charter Boeing 707 s and use Fiji cabin crews.

The board of Air Hibiscus com prises Mr W. Clark, of Northern Hotels, Mrs Ana Philp, wife of Suva architect Colin Philp, Mr Ravindra Singh, a Nadi accountant, and Mr Michael Bartlett, of England. Mr Bartlett said it was intended to sell charter space to European operators to make lower Europe-Fiji fares possible. That would open up a new field of tourist traffic.

The Worms Got

The Maroro

One of Fiji’s best known little ships, Captain Stan Brown’s Maroro, which was previously Tongan Queen Salote’s royal yacht, Hifofua, is to be scrapped. She is riddled with worm and would be too expensive to repair.

The ship was built for the Govern ment of Tonga in 1927, and in 32 years as the royal yacht, and as a general communications vessel, sailed to many parts of the Pacific carry ing members of the royal family and various dignitaries.

In 1959 she was replaced and lay idle for several months, before Cap tain Brown bought her and renamed her Maroro. Captain Brown refitted the ship and used her extensively for cruising in Fiji waters. Later he used her for charter survey work.

This included visits to the BSIP.

The Maroro was used for a geo logical survey of Tonga and Fiji, looking for phosphate; as head quarters for diving expeditions in Fiji waters; and for a film—as the yacht Seaspray. Passengers carried included film star Raymond Burr, Alec Waugh, Noel Coward and Viscount Robin Maugham.

An eternal complaint with the

Maroro was her tendency to roll, for which she was condemned by the Tongan authorities. Many of her passengers became seasick through this.

Mystery Of The

Beached Aircraft

The mystery of a damaged aircraft on a small beach on volcanic Matthew Island, about 220 miles east of New Caledonia, was not a mystery for very long. Three scientists from the New Zealand research ship, Tangaroa, saw the aircraft when they landed on the island early in Novem ber. There was no sign of the pilot, but there was enough evidence to suggest that the aircraft had been flown from New Caledonia.

Which was exactly what happened.

Mr Henri Martinet, a New Cale donian air pioneer, head of Air Caledonie, flew the light single-engine aircraft from Noumea to Matthew Island on September 17, to prove a regular air link between the two places was possible. His wife was with him.

Another single-engine aircraft flew with him to check on the success, or otherwise, of the attempt. Mr Martinet said later in Noumea a small error, of 12 metres, was the difference between success and failure.

He landed 12 metres beyond the spot where he should have put the air craft down, and damaged the landing wheels and propeller.

The other aircraft flew back to Noumea and reported the accident.

A boat was sent to pick up Mr and Mrs Martinet. Mr Martinet, after a new propeller arrived from the US, planned to return to Matthew Island, repair the aircraft, and take off. He would then land again—without diffi culty.

Navies Combine To

Make New Charts

Removing hazards for mariners is not the name of the exercise, but it could be. The hydrographic sections of the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy have com pleted new charts covering part of the Pacific Ocean, as far north as the equator, and the Tasman Sea. These charts will replace charts based on data British naval ships gathered over a century and more ago.

Eighteen countries are co-operating in a world-wide charting project, each country being assigned an area. The Royal New Zealand Navy did the southern part of the Tasman Sea, and is now surveying a vast area east of the 180th meridian, which will take in the waters round several important island groups, as far north as the equator, and to the Cook Islands in

tile east. France will be responsible for the area covering French Poly nesia.

The Royal Australian Navy covered two areas—the north Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean roughly to a line across Fiji and east to the 180th mer idian. The second “block” was from Fiji north to the equator and east again to the 180th meridian. These “blocks” extend to about 147 deg W, and cover a number of groups, inclu ding part of Papua New Guinea. The Royal Australian Navy will, event ually, survey all areas round Aust ralia. One of these will take in the part of Papua New Guinea not cover ed by the completed survey. The

charts for this particular area will be available in the first quarter of 1974, The Pacific Ocean north of the equator is divided into three areas.

The Netherlands will cover the north west area, including the Philippines, Japan the northern area, including the Trust Territory, and the United States the north-eastern area, including Hawaii. .

The International Hydrographic Organisation sponsored the project, which aims to give seamen a uniform standard coverage of the world. The new charts will give much more de tail than earlier charts, particular of the type of seabed in deep areas. The RAN and the RNZN drew on infer

mation from British, Russian, Japa nese and US oceanographic and hy drographic ships, as well as on their own surveys. The charts already prin ted may be bought from the RAN and the RNZN.

Tonga's New

Airstrip Opened

The airstrip on the Tongan island of Eua, which was opened on No vember 1 with several joyrides for special guests in the Tonga Tourist and Development Company’s Britten Norman Islander, catered for 480 passengers in November. The first six days of December saw the arrival and departure of 150 passengers. Joy riders at the opening included Crown Prince Tupouto’a, acting Deputy Prime Minister Tuita and Minister of Aviation Dr Langi Kavaliku. Eua was on holiday for the opening which was watched by 1,500 islanders. • The number of cruise ships calling at Vila in 1973 was 36, three times the number that visited in 1972. Already 26 ships have re served their berths for 1974. Boom months for cruise ships last year were August (five) and September (four), and the prize for the biggest load of tourists goes to the Fairstar which landed 1,291 at Vila in September. • President Hammer deßoburt, of Nauru, accompanied by represen tatives of Nauru Pacific Lines, went to Saipan in November to discuss the possibility of expanding the shipping services in the Trust Territory. At present the line is limited to calling at Majuro, under what the Trust Terri tory Government defines as a fran chise agreement for Transpacific Lines Inc to service the remaining Micronesian ports. • Ace Taxis, of Rarotonga, has been taken over by Stars Travel Rarotonga Ltd, a branch of a New Zealand travel firm. The manager Mr Tony Taylor, said the name, Ace Taxis, would be retained, but al vehicles would be replaced. Mi Taylor has applied for licences tc operate two taxis in Aitutaki Aitutaki has no public transpor system. • The Melan-Chine Shipping C( Ltd of the BSIP has a new ship, th Makambo, which cost $76,000. Th Makambo was built in Auckland b A and G. Price Ltd. It is a twin screw, ramp cargo ship, with a crms ing speed of eight knots. It is 76 1 long. It was specially designed to transporting cattle. She will carry crew of eight. There are two cabin for passengers.