DIRECT ACTION TO UNLOAD FRUIT

Chronicle (Levin), 13 May 1946, Page 2

DIRECT ACTION TO UNLOAD FRUIT

— ' WATERSIDERS CAN WORK IF THEY LIKE Received Sunday 7.0 p.in. BRISBAN E, Mav J2. A neAv, type of "direct action" Avas inaugurated by watersiders at Brisbanc yesterday when 1200 men and eight women brusked past the police and commcnced unioadLng fifty thousaiid cases Qf fruit from thc liolds Of tlie. s'tqaippr Murada. The fruit had' b'eiih, (leteriorating on board tlie vesscl since Yy'edifcsday when work on the sh'ip was ' siispended . because of tl^e. plpqbl^dumping of wooi 'dispiito. "Althtnigh' tlie men rct'used.to handle; the wool for the Murada, they offered* to' tlnloa'd thc ffuit'frec of charge to prove their wilJingness to have the dispute confined to wool. They were refu'sed permission by the Brisjjane Watersi(le Employei^ ' eoinmi'ttce. Early yesterday a deputation of "returned soldier workefs of the Waterside Workers' Federation, intorviewed :tho chairman of the p.ort coinmittee and asked that the fruit be unloadcd'lniuiediately in tho national interest. The men offered to work three sliifts without pay. , When. permission was refused the men forined up six doep and mdrphed doivn Lower Queen Street to, the wharf. The proccssion, which" included members of the Brisbane Trade and Labour Council and Labour Women 's Auxiliary, carried a bamier inscribed: "Big bosses starve the people." Water police oilicers were brushed- aside but received assuranccs that no violonce was intended. Boarding the sliip tlie men found there was no steanl for thc winches but they quickly formed chains aud within iive minutes cases of apples and pcars were beiug placed in the paclcing slieds. Police reinforcements wero 011 the sceue in a few minutes but were told: "You ean witlulraw your men. There will be no incidents. " At one stage more than 400'nieu wcre working three hatches- A 'thousaiid cases went off the , sliip in S0 niihutcs.; Meiubers of the crew- of thc Murada asked the captaiu to raise steam for t.lio winches. When he replied that lie could uot do so without tlie owuers ' pcnuission, they threatened they would wai k off the sliip.