STOPWORK MEETING TODAY

Chronicle (Levin), 12 July 1948, Page 7

STOPWORK MEETING TODAY

AUCKLAND, .Julv 11. With the main negotiations still in train at Wellington, cliief interest in the waterfront dispute at Auckland will centre i-ound tomorrow morning's stopwork nieetiiig at Auckland. i\lembers of the nationai council returned from Wellington on Saturday morning and the meeting will be given a report on the conferences with the Government and Federation of Labour. There is a stroug feeling in the union that normal work on all ships, except the Mountpark, should be resumed immediately after the brauch gives its assent. The Waterfront Industry Coinuiission, however, will niaintaiii its policy of labour preferenee for the l\louiiLpark at tomorrow morning's engagemeut call and the only unionists to be allotled worlc on priority cargoes will be a gang to unload about 4000 bags of Englisli mai! from the Ilutitingdon and anothor gang to discliarge -tea from one hatch of the coastal inotor-vessel Pukeko. This vessel has been waiting siilce' July 1 to land a-large shipmeut of tea from Ueylon transhipped at Napier, and priority labour will now be granted to prevent soap powdfer in one hatch tainting part of the tea cargo. YV'heu- normal work is resumed, an accuniulation of teus of thousands ot lons of cargo in idle and partly-worked ships must be haudled. A string of incomiug ships will be maiutained duriug the weelc and the number at anchor will steadily increase, • As a result of. the congestion tlic British motor-ship Glenbanlc, due here today from the Gulf o'f ilexico, was diverted to New Plymouth. . It was decided that her snia'll Auckland consignment of 400 tons of geueral cargo did not justify a lengthy delay before New Flymouth consignecs ^eceived their shipmeut of 6200 tons of sulphur.