REBUFF TO STRIKERS

Chronicle (Levin), 9 March 1948, Page 5

REBUFF TO STRIKERS

(N,Z.P.A.-r

-Rewter,

Storemen Reject love To Black Ban Petrol •

Copyright)

Received Monday, 7.50 p.m. BRISBANE, March 8. The striking railway unions suffered a serious rebuff • today vvhcn a secrtt ballot of storemen and paekers rejected a .move to piace a black ban 011 petrol. Pickets from the striking imiom? carrying "Don't Scab" placards iined the entrance to Trades Hall this "morning and kept call ing: 'Do the right thing mate, " as the men went 111 to v'ote. Only Shell depots were involved. hfthe blaek ban-, Imt other conipanies store their petrol at these depots'and had the ban been car-t-ied the uiiion could have cut olf most of the petrol for emergency transport in Queensland. The men rejected the ban by 86 to 61, A carload of deteetives giiardcd the meeting and two police stood outside the room whe.re the riiep were assembling until the secretary of tlie Trades and Laliour rouncil (Mr. M. Healy) protested. The Ships' Painters and Dockers' union have declared black tlie tanker Olaurina which is in dock for overhaul and all the men employed on the job have been dismissed by the Marino De])artment As a re])i'isal the union has' declared the South Bi-isbane docks' and the Marino Department blaek. The interstate lyier Ormiston was forced to berth withont a tug and no labour is available to 1111■load her. • The staff of a South Brisbane I'actory took things into their own liands when they arrived at work today to find painted 011 the footpa'tli : "ffed rifl of Hanlon and save Laliour." Two professed (Jommunists 011 the staff were tohi by the other men to scrulMhe sign off immediately. The? ('01111111111ists scrubbed while the resT of th,e stfiif looked 011. ■