To the Editor of the "Norta-Cuina Datty News."
Sim,—Having recently travelled from Home via Suez I can thoroughly endorse all that is said in the article under the above heading in your yesterday's issue. My wife and I were passengers on an ex-enemy vessel flying the Japanese flag, with white stewards: and a mixed crew of British, Japanese, and Somalis. From the very day we left Tilbury it was apparent that there was a spirit of Bolshevism pervading the crew which boded ill for the comfort of the passengers. The Japanese firemen were fighting more or less all the voyage, and at Port Said five or six of them were taken to hospital with their throats gashed. The British stewards, with one or two exceptions, were seldom really sober, and the chief steward was the worst offender in this respect. His behaviour when intoxicated was offensively familiar towards the lady passengers and he allowed the under stewards to do as they liked. One of the latter was a delegate of the Stewards Union and he happened to be our cabin steward. Our cabin was never cleaned out during the whole trip and when remonstrated with on his lack of attention his talk was all of his Union and what they allowed him to do. I got rather tired of this at length, and informed him that the Passengers Union" had resolved not to pay gratuities to the members of the Stewards Union. As the passengers had held several meetings in the smoke room to protest about the iniquitous prices charged for wines and cigarettes on board, and also the general conditions on the ship, he thought there might be something in this, and when several passengers left at Colombo and Singapore without paying the usual gratuity, the stewards began to "sit up and take notice." There was one decent steward who had the temerity on one occasion to polish his cabin brasses in his own time, and this "blackleg" was led a dog's life by the others.
At Singapore we were nine firemen short and it was impossible to get a full head of steam. It was decided to ship this number of Arabs and we dropped anchor in the harbour after leaving the wharf to await their arrival. The pilot ladder was let down and they came alongside in a sampan. The Japanese firemen left. the stokehold and the moment one of the Arabs attempted to climb the ladder he was shaken off by the Japanese. This went on for about an hour and neither the British Captain nor Chief Officer interfered. The Japanese purser was sent for and he instructed the firemen not to allow the Arabs on board. None of the executive officers of the ship had the slightest control over the crew, and discipline was conspicuous by its absence. As far as the stewards are concerned the' remedy is obvious. Let "no tips" be the motto of all passengers who do not receive proper attention. It might be of interest for you to know that stewards get 98./3d. a day.
T am, etc., Disaustep. Shanghai, Feb. 22.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.