THE CHINA MAIL, DECE ER 11, 1937.
PENSIONS FOR MERCHANT NAVY OFFICERS
New British Scheme To Start Next Year
HIGHER PAY
TO MEET CONTRIBUTIONS
At a meeting held in London agreements were
TO GAS DANGER TO
FOOD
WARTIME SUPPLIES
PROTECTION
Information for producers, manu-
ISNOWDROP GAVE
HIM AN IDEA AIR CRASHES CAN BE PREVENTED
ANTI-ICING PASTE
Did you
ever wonder why the
signed which virtually assured pensions to the facturers and distributors regard-snowdrop is never frozen up? Mc. great majority of the officers of the British Mering protection of foodstuffs against J. Halbert did, twenty years ago, contamination by poison gas in and the result of his researches chant Navy.
time of war, is given in a pamphlet into the anti-icing properties of issued by the Air Raid Precautions plants is now being used to in-
crease the safety of air transport.
This is, perhaps, the crowning achievement of Department of the Home Office.
Foodstuffs, for the most part, For several years Mr. Halbert a year remarkable in our shipping annals, a year
absorb gas readily, and if badly and Imperial Airways, Ltd, have which has brought the tramp shipowners co-opera-contaminated would have to be worked together. They have de
veloped a compound, which Mr. tive scheme, the new Board of Trade rules raising destroyed, it is stated.
The protective value of different Halbert produced originally for the standard of living accommodation for mer-
use in refrigerating plants, to prevent frost forming on the pipes. chant seamen, and the Admiralty's plan for train-types of packing materials is ing Merchant Navy officers in war-time defencelers such as hermetically sealed duties.
scheme
shown. These range from contain-
glass bottles or tins which, when undamaged, give complete protec- tion to ordinary sacks, such as are used for four or grain, which give
If it is necessary in an emer practically no protection. gency to stack foodstums in open dumps or depots, they should be covered by large tarpaulins. Open stores of grain and fodder should be similarly protected
HINTS TO SHOPKEEPERS There are also hints for shop-
MIXING PROBLEM
Later it was applied to points and live rails on railway lines. It absolutely prevents the formation of ice on any substance coated with it.
Ice formation, as is well known, is probably the greatest dange encountered by aircraft flying bad weather during the winter
The prepar
secried to offer
enabling bill The idea of providing pensions for Providing that an Merchant Navy officers has long been goes through Parliament to legalise mooted. The first concrete proposals the assignment of seamen's pay for were made at least 10 years ago by the purpose in view the Capt. H. W. Coombs, master mariner will come into operation on January and barrister-at-law, who is general 1 for foreign-going ships. In the will manager of the Officers' (Merchant case of coastwise shipping it
become operative on the first open Navy) Federation.
It was realised, however, that uning of articles in 1938, and in any til shipping bad entered on a phase case not later than February 1.
The adoption of the scheme is a keepers. When an air raid warna solution of the problem, but the of comparative prosperity such a scheme would present, many difficul-personal triumph for Capt. Coombs (ing has been received the shop difficulty has been to mix it with. ties. For this reason it was left whose efforts on their behalf are should be completely closed up to other substances which would pre- in abeyance till the autumn of last recognised by the entire seafaring keep out poison gas. Close-fitting vent it from being almost imme doors, windows or shutters will be diately blown away from the wings, struts, and propeller blades of air year, when the industry began to community.
All officers working under Na- required show definite signs of revival
· Stocks should be stored in such craft in fight. At this timely juncture Capt. tional Maritime Board agreements Coombs produced his detailed pro-will be covered by the scheme. This a way as to prevent any gas which posals, which form the basis of the means an overwhelming majority. may enter the shop from penetrat plan which has now been accepted. The only important exceptions willing to the food. All supplies The parties represented at the be officers employed by certain com should be kept as long as possible meeting were the Shipping Federa-panies which have their own legalis- tion and the Port of Liverpool Em-led pension funds. ployers Association for the owners, and the Officers Federation, the Marine Engineers Association, the Mercantile Marine Service Associa- tion, and the Amalgamated En- gineering Union.
`INCLUSION IN SHIP ARTICLES
It was agreed to institute
益
Merchant Navy Officers' Pensions
Fund, and also that the requisite in-
crease should be made in officers'
If after five years an officers ceases to be actively employed, he will be entitled to draw out the amount of his own contri- butions at 21 per cent. com- pound interest. Alternatively he can claim a deferred pension secured by the amount of his own and his owners payments. The minimum death benefit is to be £100.
SMEARED ON
In the past few months research in their original packing, and fur- has been so successful that the ther protection given by keeping compound known as Kilfrost” is them in cupboards, drawers and now used on all Imperial Airways boxes, instead of on open shelves. Empire Flying boats and Huropean It would be necessary to observe, airliners. At Groydon I saw it these safeguards throughout a war, a greenish yellow paste, rather re- as the period of warning before an sembling axle grease in appear- Lance being smeared on the liner air-raid is likely to be short.
The protection of stocks of food Horatius just before she took off in private houses will be dealt on the regular -12.30 service to with in a general handbook for Paris. householders, now being prepared.
The paste is applied by hand, and
a very large machine, such as Hor- The fund will be administered by will on both sides. Much more re-atius, takes about 25 lbs. of it at one pay to cover the cost of their con-a management committee of eight mains to be done before the Mer- application tributions, namely, 33% per cent. As owners and eight officers repre-chant Navy becomes an ideal pro- Many other companies are inter- the owners are to contribute at the sentatives. They will be charged fession, but this scheme alone should ested in the compound. Two tons of same rate, the total increase in pay with the collection of subscriptions render it far more attractive as a it have been shipped to America for is equivalent to T1⁄2 per cent.
and their investment, the later on career."
It was further approved that the advice of an expert investment
these agreements should be a sub-committee. bodied in ships articles, the effect of which will be to make them bind- ing.
NEW ERA OF CO-OPERATION- To enable funds to be held by a corporate body the Merchant Navy Officers' Pension Fand Trustees Ltd,
Although it is impossible to give exact figures, the scheme is ex will be formed, to act as trustees, pected to operate approximately as the directors being four owners' and follows
oficer who joined the scheme at 21 and who had the avera
successful should be able at 65 to count on a yearly pension of $240.
An officer joining at 35 who had a moderately successful should at 65 draw a
your
pension of £130.
It is obvious that the generation of officers will be chi
but fact will tend to make the
more attractive ca
four officers representatives.
In the final form approved at meeting the scheme was dráti jointly by Mr. Richard Sneddon, general manager of the Federation, and Capt. W. E. Coombs, with the assistance of a solicitor and an actuary,
"It is, I believe, the scheme of its kind
atest
Capt. Coombs said. regard it as
he the dawn of a new era of co-o
tive action between shipowners Mer-their
is a triumph of good
tests,
Those who know.........
Insist on
EWO
Jardines Tel 30311