STRIKE BATTLE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 224, 21 September 1928, Page 7

STRIKE BATTLE.

WATERFRONT DUEL.

Free Labour Versus Organised

Strikers.

OWNERS CHALLENGED.

(Received 11.30 a.m.)

SYDNEY, this day.

The waterside workers are now working at the ports of Sydney, Cairns, Townsville, Port Kembla, Port Augusta, Port Pirie, Albany and the Tasmanian ports.

Perth wool sales were postponed owing to the strike.

Brisbane sugar growers are arriving in large numbers to load the ships at Bowen, which is alive with activity.

At Newcastle volunteer labour on the wharves has established a record in wool loading, placing 120 bales aboard in an hour, whereas the customary rate is 70 an hour.

The Orsova omitted Fremantle and arrived at Albany, where the watersiders began to work and unshipped the cargo.

At Adelaide the crews of two' tugs were paid off owing to their refusal to assist the steamers loaded'by volunteer labour. The liner Orama resumed her voyage to London without local cargo.

Hopes that the negotiations for a settlement of the waterside workers' strike might prove successful were abandoned at Melbourne yesterday afternoon. The federation decided that it had no alternative but to accept the shipowners' challenge and to fight the introduction of free labour* on the waterfront.

The recent decision of the waterside workers' conference to instruct the members of the federation to offer for work at all ports under the new award has thus been jettisoned.

In the House of Representatives at Canberra the Labour members refused leave to the Prime Minister, Mr. Bruce, to move the second reading of the bill to protect free labour on the waterfronts and to secure a continuity of employment for volunteer workers after a strike. The measure was therefore delayed until to-day.

Members of the Waterside Workers' Federation continued to work at Sydney yesterday on the vessels where labour was required, but work at this port is badly dislocated through the strike at other places. The work done yesterday was principally confined to the Aorangi, Maheno, and Marama.

The brokers will decide to-day whether the Sydney wool sales shall be resumed on Monday. It is estimated that the stoppage of the sales this week resulted in £3,000,000 being held up.

At Melbourne the waterside workers did not respond to the call for labour for the P. and O. liner Cathay, which they declared "black" because she carried cargo which had been handled by free labour at Adelaide. She had left Fremantle last week without being unloaded.

No call was made for free labour at Melbourne, the owners having decided to make to-day the first day for that. Other ships in that were worked.