TROUBLE ON THE KOOMBANA.

The Sunday Times, Perth, 12 November, 1911.

Trouble on the Koombana

THE BAKER AND THE STEWARD

The Vessel Hung Up

Serious trouble has occurred on

board the s.s. Koombana, belonging

to the Adelaide Steamship Company,

Ltd., which is the subsidised mail

boat for the Nor'-West ports, and

yesterday, it assumed such dimensions 

that instead of the Koombana leaving 

for the Nor'-West last night her sailing 

has been postponed indefinitely.

Confirmation that Koombana was subsidised = pressure to maintain schedule and avoid tide-related delays.

The trouble originated in the ship's 

bakehouse on the last trip down when 

the vessel was steaming between Sharks 

Bay and Geraldton. The chief steward, 

Frank William Johnson, entered the 

bakehouse, and it is alleged that be 

abused the baker, a young German 

named Edwin Albrecht, and broke a 

loaf of bread over him. Albrecht waited 

until the vessel got to Fremantle, when 

he summoned Johnson for using abusive 

and insulting language towards him.

The case was heard at the Fremantle 

Police Court on Friday, when B..M. Dowley 

dismissed the case and would not allow

either side costs.

Throughout the piece Albrecht

has had the sympathy of the crew of

the Koombana, and on Friday night

a meeting of the Seamen's Union was

held at the Trades Hall, Fremantle, 

when about 60 members of the union 

were present, including representatives 

from the crews of the Suva, the Kyarra, 

and the Kurnalpi, besides, the crew of 

the Koombana.

After discussion it was decided by a

very large majority that the crew

of the Koombana should not resume

work until the chief steward was 

removed from the steamer, and this

decision, was conveyed to Captain

Allen, and Mr. A. E. Lewis, acting

manager of the Adelaide Steamship

Company, the same night.

By this time Captain Allen had taken over command of Koombana from Captain Rees. A initiation by fire for the new captain.

In consequence of this action of

the crew the, agents of the Koombana 

yesterday decided they had no

alternative but to delay the departure 

of the steamer, and during the day -

16 firemen were paid off. The men 

were on duty and did not display the 

slightest concern over their dismissal. 

Subsequently a wire was received at 

Fremantle from Mr. Cooper, the general 

secretary of the Firemen and Seamen's 

Union, who is in Sydney, advising the 

men to work on, as their action would 

seriously jeopardise the case at present

before the Arbitration Court in the

Eastern States.

During the day Mr. Lewis notified

the postal authorities, with whom

the company holds the contract for

the carriage of the mails between

Fremantle and the Nor'-West. that

owing to the action of the crew of

the ship the contract would have to

be suspended for the time being. 

The sailing of the vessel has 

been postponed indefinitely.

Having the mail contract suspended placed the Adelaide Steamship Company in a very difficult position. A large steamer in port not earning revenue was a significant burden on the Company's running costs.

Albrecht called at "The Sunday

Times" office yesterday afternoon to

complain of his treatment in the Police 

Court case at Fremantle on the

previous day. He said that if he had

struck the chief steward he would

probably have got six months on 

the arrival of the vessel at Fremantle,

but because he restrained himself

and behaved in a law-abiding manner

the magistrate dismissed the case

and refused to grant him costs. That,

he said, was not justice, which he as

a naturalised Australian and a member 

of the Bakers' Union at Fremantle had 

a right to expect. He had thrown up to 

his position or the ship and would not 

resume work in her even if he had to 

starve in consequence.

This incident was to have far-reaching ramifications. 

On the surface one can, to a certain extent, agree with Mr. Dowley's decision to dismiss the case. Crew working cheek by jowl on steamers must invariably have come into verbal conflict with one another from time to time. Breaking a loaf of bread over someone would hardly have caused significant damage and using bread equates with intention to make a statement rather than cause bodily harm. The fact that 16 firemen were paid off suggests that there was a lot more to this than met the eye.

From what I understand, the Chief Steward on a steamer was a powerful figure who controlled rations and privileges. If there was an underlying discontent relating to this 'power' it could quite possibly have affected firemen as well as crew working in the kitchen and bake house. The incident might have been the tip of an iceberg relating to conditions of service?

From a purely speculative and somewhat outrageous perspective I cannot help wondering if the second cook, Jones, who fell down stairs and died from his injuries, was in in some way connected with the drastic action taken by crew of the Koombana? There might have been suspicions on board that he was pushed, hence the obstinacy associated with demanding the removal of the Chief Steward, placing livelihoods and families in jeopardy? Stranding Koombana must have had very serious financial implications and mutiny comes to mind.

I believe there was a lot more to this incident than breaking a loaf of bread over someone's head.

period galley, circa 1911.