PERISHABLE CARGO ON THREE SHIPS TOTAL LOSS

Chronicle (Levin), 18 May 1946, Page 5

PERISHABLE CARGO ON THREE SHIPS TOTAL LOSS

Received Fridav, .8.35 p.m. SYDX FY, lla.v 17. Efforts to end tlie strike on tlie Aus- 1 tralian waterfi'OJits were continued to!day wlien the Acting L'rinie Minister, ! l Jlr. Fonle, conferred with all parties ! concerned. The talks resuined al tej j j lunch and are still proceeding but so t'ar | there is no indication that auy settl.e-' j inent has been reached. On ai'rival froni (.'anberra bv- 'plnnej this morning, Air. Forde said he was ■ j optiiuistic concerning tlie result. j The secretary of the Waterside Worlc-, | ers ' Federation said that tlie oppor- j jtunity presentcd itself vesterday tn : | set tio tlie dispute, but. that the chair-l iiiian of'the Stevedoring Industrv Com-i inission was not prepared to decide oue j wav or the other. The niatter was now j up to the Federal Government alone. Even if todav's talks are successfu-1. ! there will lie iio resuniption of work be^ j j forc Monda.v and the cargoes of tliree fruit and vegetalde ships now in S.vdiiev are certain to be a iolal loss. The niain issue is whether tlie pvactice ot double duniping will be discoutinued j pending an enquiry. This doos not. I alTect 4,500,000 double-dumped bales already awaiting slii ] niient. The watersiders have agreed to handle tliis wool wlien the dispute is settled. The Stevedoring Industry Coinniission, which is tlie authority responsiblo for lixing con dilions concerning tlie haudling and j shipniont of wool, coniprises tliree representatives of the Waterside Workers' Federation, oue each from tlie' Overseas and Tnter-, Stato Hhipowners. and tlie Stevedoring firuis. and the Coriciliation Connhissioner, .Ur. 1). V. Alorrison as chainnan. A shipping authority savs that if tlie new season 's clip of 3,000,000 bales were put up in single bales. twenty oxlrn. ships would be repia rod.