Seamen’s Leader Attacks Passenger Ship Policy

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30976, 4 February 1966, Page 14

Seamen’s Leader Attacks Passenger Ship Policy

The non-existence of transTasman passenger ships was an indictment on the New Zealand Government and Australian Government, said the federal secretary of the Australian Seamen’s Union (Mr E. V. Elliot) in Lyttelton yesterday. At one time, he said, there were eight passenger ships plying regularly between Australia and New Zealand. Now there was none. “It is an indictment of the Australian and New Zealand Governments that they allowed these ships to go out of commission without the Governments themselves continuing the services,” said Mr Elliot.

“It is a short-sighted national policy that the New Zealand Government has recognised the need to run internal railroads and doesn’t recognise its need to engage in overseas trade. “Both our Governments accept the responsibility for railway traffic, and it is only logical for the unions to contend that these two Governments should reach agreement on trans-Tasman passenger ships. “At present all the fares for ship passengers across the Tasman are going to overseas shipping interests. Mr Elliot, who is one of Australia's veteran trade union leaders, reached Christchurch by air from Sydney

on Wednesday, to spend two weeks in New Zealand visiting all branches of the New Zealand Seamen’s Union. He is accompanied by the Queensland State secretary of the Australian Seamen's Union (Mr J. Fitzgerald). Yesterday morning, Mr Elliot addressed the monthly stopwork meeting of the Lyttelton branch of the New Zealand Seamen’s Union. Messrs Elliot and Fitzgerald expect to leave Lyttelton and Christchurch this week-end for main ports further south. Later they will visit Wellington, Auckland and other North Island ports.