Ships Held Up At Westport

Chronicle (Levin), 19 July 1946, Page 8

Ships Held Up At Westport

— Press Association

STRIKE DEADLOCK CONTINUES

i By Telegraph-

f • WELLINGTON, July 18. | "With 12 ships lield up in Westport and Greymouth beeause of the crews' defianee . of the New Zealand Seamen's Union o'rder to resuiiie work, and uiost of the ships laden with coal for North Island ports, the coal position again approaches the desperate, Stocks of industrial coal in WelI liugton are in the main insuffieieiit to last past Monday, and the prospect of veceiving additional suppJies beL'ore then is receding. I After a meeting that lasted all morniug ihe crews of the coastal vessels tu'td up in Westport decided that they would not talce tlie ships to sea. Their actii.n is in opposition to a direction yestorday from tlie national eouncil of the Seamen's t'uion that the ships : .-houhi sail and is not in line with the ' deeisions at- other ports. i The direction of the national eouncil vestorday advised crews to sail and stated that, the eouncil was discussing the trilmnal's decision 011 the heating and lighting of ships in port, and would exphiin the result of its deliberations to meetings of seamen in tlie four main ports. The continued delav of sliips on the West C'oast will p ro baldy result in a serious sliortage of coal in parts of tlie Xortli Island, particularlv in Auckland and Wellington. Ahogcther there are eight ships delayed in Westport and four in Greymouth, and niost of them ' iire laden with coal that is urgently ue.eded for industry, gas, electrie power, and hospitals. Htocks have been , dcjiieted as the result of tlie loss of ' supplies wlien the original dispute arose , in Wellington and now tliat tlie ships i concerned have been again delayed it is likely that' .Mondav will see an emerj .^ency in the coal position.