Waterside Officials Return To Home Ports

Chronicle (Levin), 13 July 1948, Page 7

Waterside Officials Return To Home Ports

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WELLINGTON, July 12. The watersiders' national mfficials ended their eight-day session of conferences today and packed up to return to their home ports, declaring it was abundantly clear that any further delay in a return to noranal at ihe port of Auckland would he the solef responsibility of the Minister of Labour, Mr. McLagan. The national executive of the union, after taking legal advjce, drew up its proposed order of reference for the tribunal in the Mountpark dispute and handed it to the Federation of Labour for submission to the Government. The union 's order of reference includes the dispute over the Broompark at Chelsea, whicli the Government has I not proposed to submit to the tribunal and which the Minister of Labour ae cordingly did not includo within his order of reference. Whereas the Minister 's proposed order of reference asks whetlier th? Mountpark 's hatches were safe to reniove by hand, the union does not aecept the question in this f'orm. The Minister 's proposals are regarded bv the union as having the effect of putting the union automatically on the del'ensive- whereas its own proposals vvould remove this onus. These are the chief differences between the two sets of proposals t'lOi th" order of reference. The union claiuis that in any case thc Minister of Labour has not the right to determine the ord )r of reference because he is not a* party to the dispute. Mr. H. Barnes, president of the union, said tonight that he saw no reasou why the Government slionid conlinue to loek out men at the port of Auckland mul thus involve the couutry in luxge econornic waste. The union, for its part, said Mr. Barnes, had accepted the tribunal, bad agreed to abide by its decision, and had submitted its proposals for the order of reference. In face of these facts the Government persisted in locking-out the port of Auckland. The people of New Zealand must look further than the Mountpark' s hatches for the reasons. Officiais of the union were now going back to their home ports confident and hopeful that the Government would see reason within the next 24 hours. How.ever, if the Government persisted in having a lock-out, then the union felt that the public of New Zealand would join witli it in asking why. If the Minister of Labour persisted j in his dogmatie attitude and no settlement was obtained, then the union had , bcen assured by the national executive j of the Federation of Labour, that *a ■ special confcrence of t.he Federation J would be summoned. The union hoped j this would not be necessarv because it | was satisfied that a continuance of th" I Minister 's attitude could do nothing I else but compel. the Federation of Lab- i our to take acfion in support . of • t.he j wateisiders' claims. • j Tt should be abundantly clear to j every fair-minded eitizen that any fur- , ther delay in the working ihe ships in the port ,pT Axickl'aii,3C was the sola responsibility of 1.1 ic Minister of Labour, said Mr. Barnes., .. .