AUSTRALIAN WATERSIDERS' BAN

Chronicle (Levin), 14 June 1947, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN WATERSIDERS' BAN

(Speeial Correspondent).

Received Fridav, 8.50 p.m. SYDNEY, June 13. Tliough reeent announcements havt indieated the lifting .of prohibitions oi widely difi'ering hinds on trade .with indoiiesia and Japau, Australia's com mcrcial drive to the East cannot vet be said to have b.egun. Despite the an uouncement that the Waterside AVork ers ' Eederation had agreed to iift its ban on Dutch shipping in Australiai; ports no further moVes have been made and Dutch shipping at Batavia stil. awaits information that Australiai: por-ts are open. 9 Tliough some Dutch ships are riskin„ the voyage 011 the scanty information now avaiiable the main part of tlie flee is not likelv to chanee a repetition 0. wliat liappened last vear when ■aftei lying For nionths in various Australian liarbours Dutch vessels had to sneak t«, sea like blockade-runners. The water siders ' ban has now been in existence since Septeinber 1945 when the Federalion claimed that cargoes included cquipment for use aga.nst the Indonesian Republic. Wliat has been liappeuing since the Fresident oi the K-epublic recenth -igreed to the shipment oi' goods at pre sent in Australia or suice ihe generai seeretary of the Waterside Workers lrederation (Mr. J. Iiealy) announced last week tliat the . Federation woulu cooperate in the shipment" is not"ye*t clear, but it is plaiu tliat at present no.. .•argo is inoving. D.espite the fact that the Netherland., (lowriiment was forced to sell much 01 Ihe supplies and eipiipment purehased for shipment to the East hulies, aboui 10,000 tons of cargo for lndouesia, val ued at £(),()()(), 000 has aeeumulated in Australia during the ban. Accordmg to the seeretary of the Ex pori Development Group (Mr. J. E Birch) Australia is losing trade worth 48,000,00 yearly because of the ban ou trade with the Indies. Tlie regular sei vices avvaiting defmite news'of the lifting of the ban include one of two ships monthly by the K.P.M. Line and another by Burns Philj) liners now run uiug between Australia and Biugapore. Tlie news that the Australian Gov ernment is nbw prepared to resume trading relations wit.h Japan withont delay has not caused any great excite inent in coinmercial circles. A Govern ment spokesinan said that in view of Generai MacArthur's deeision to admi' 400 buyers from foreign countries into Japan Australia could not alford to b« " left out in the coid. " Responsible export ers are of opinion that this has alreadv oceurred and that bv the time Australia receives its allo-. cation of buyers little trade will remain to be piclced up. The Australian Exp.orters' Federation is aslcing that at least 40 Australian representatives should be sent to reop.en trade with Japan but the seeretary admits that Australian exporters have ma-de 110 speeial preparations for the resumptkm of Japanese trade.