EFFORTS TO END SHIPPING STRIKE

Chronicle (Levin), 14 May 1946, Page 5

EFFORTS TO END SHIPPING STRIKE

Received Aloiulax. S.20 p.m. SVDXUV, Aliiy 13. Tlie Stcvedoi'iiig rndustry Commis- 1 sion consisting of representativcs of llicj shipping einployers and the Waterside I Workers' Fedcration, under the cliair- ■ iminship of Alr. D. V. Alorrisoii, has; been conferring since this morning on J ways of endiiig tlie disjmte which has 1 immobiliscd 150 slvips in livc nurjor; Australian porls. Today the only sliipsl to move out of Sydnpy were colliers working Xewcastle in an endeavour to ; euse Sydney's coal problem. The Atli- ! lone Castle wli'udi arrived from Xew ' Zealand on Satiirday, has been worked by navy personnel and will probably j sail late today. ! Tlie reason for the breakdown in \ negotiations on Friday was in tlie inter-j ]>retatioii of the decision of the Comiuission to isolate the wool ships ])end- ! ing a settleinent. Watersiders inter-| preted this as meaning that all iiicni- i liers of tlie uiiioii iuvolved in tlie wool | stoppages, would be rerostered for work j on other vessels. What the decision j really liieant was that the nien would b- 1 isolated with the wool ships. Anv at ; teinpt to unload fruit from tlie Cor j rimal al Darliirg itarb'our, Sydncy, fol- j lowing the iBrisbane precedeiit, was! forestalled by the loeking of the wliart j gates. Tlie coal position in Sydncy is still.j serious but sliows a slight iiiiproveuietil. f'oal production which "is*. bcing losi tially due to the idleness of tlie mines, is estimated at 50(10 tons.