Ban on Diverted Cargoes

Chronicle (Levin), 13 July 1948, Page 7

Ban on Diverted Cargoes

MR BARNES REPLIES TO MINISTER WELLINGTON, July 12. The executive of the -New Zealand Waterside Workers' TJnion has directed the New Plymouth branch not to hanclie Auckland cargo in the diverted ship Glenbank and the Bluff branch not to handle Auckland cargo in the Eastern This was announced by the nationa, president of the union (Mr. H. Barnes) after a meeting of the union executive today. Mr. Barnes said: "We are, as we always have been, eager to resolve this question on a fair basis, but continuai provocation on the part of the Ministei of Labour forces us to conclude that he has not the same desire. ' ' Alleging that Mr. Alckagan's attitude disclosed uo apparent desire to resol.o the Auckland waterfront disputo oii a iust basis, iMr. Barnes said that at all times the .Minister 's eoiicern had been to confuse the issues and^ to pre: vent the relevatit facts frorn being decided. The union executive was now conferring witli its legal advisers ou ttie question of its order of reference to be considered by the investigating tribunal, said Mr. Barnes. "The national executive wiH'submii its proposals for order of reference as .-••ooii as possible, but oue thing should be obvious to ail. It is that the Minister liaS lieen inost careful to avoid an exarniiiation by the tribunal of the actions of the. Waterfront Industrv 'oinniission, amoiig other tliings. In his order of reference the Ministei niakes no reference to that lmdlv be luned foster-child, the Waterfront Inlustry C'onimission. Further Preference. "In view of the decision of our national rouncil to accept a tribunal and to abide by its decisions. we antici]iated on Friday night that n,ormal work would have. been allowed at the Porh of Auckland froin this niorning. Instead, we lind that oiu-e again, t.he • Minister has made the Mountpark .a preference ship, has cojitinued to, locdv out liundreds of waterside workers, and- has eonlinued to immobilise the Port of Auckland. I make these charges witli the greatest.emphasis. It is time that the people considered where • the blame rests. "It seenis that the actions which still immobilise tlie port have been done in aii attenqit to bludgeon us eeoiionneaiiy into submission to the Minister's idea of what, according to the press release on Saturday afternoon..is his idea of an order of reference for tlift tribunal. "While we in New Zealand uiay be heading.for a coiulit'ion of society wliefe a single will is the beginning, all-pervading, aml linal authority froui the eradle to the grave, it niay be possible {b poiiit out to Ihe Minister that

we- still have a little vvay to gp before that stage in the aft'airs of our race i,> reached, • "Thid union says to the Minister that it is not for hina to determine the oi'der of . reference. This is a question ibr the parties to the dispute. Questions tlie Minister is m'ost careful to avoid are the actions of the Waterfront. industry Commission, and another ques-. tion which the tribunal must judge relates to the Broompark. ' ' ' Referfing to the Broompark, Mr. BarnekNonteiided that, here agam, the Minister had trred to ebnfuse thc issue. ' ' We are not coucerned witli auy alleged g'o-slow' on the Broompark,. ■' said Mr. Barnes. • -'Well does the Alinister know this. But we are con cerned with the liard, irrefut'able fact that, for liye days, men removed hatclies on the Broompark in a safe, efficient . and lavvful manner. They y'ere then dismissed, on instriictions from Wellington, and another ship was immobilised beoanse of arbitrary action. This is quite a different story from that presented by the Minister. " Statement Impe'rative "The union executive feels that this statement is imperative in view of the Minister's laiest but typieal action oi" going to the press with a misleading statement at The very stage vvhen niosr. people -were hopeful of an early settlement of the dispute. The question which the peopie of New Zealand should now ask thcmselves is Whv the Minister, wlien a tribunal has been accepted and the only subject requiring fo oo deteriuined is the order of - reference. still locks out the Auckland waterside workers and causes hardship to the nation. "The statement issued by the Aiinister on hiaturday afternoon is consist- | ent with all the actions from the oeginning of this troublq. Jt was on Friday afternoon- that the union council resolved to accept a tribunal to determine botii of the Mountpark disputes and questions arising from them, that the order of reference would be deteriuined by the parties, that the Mounr park and Broompark hatches were,. pending the tribunal decision, to be lifted by rope slings in tlie manner which had already obtained on tlie Bloompark, and that, failing agreement on the question of lifting these hatches, j the ALountpark and Broompark were to ' be isolated jmtil the tribunal' brought I down its decision. j Reason for Decision. j "It is eniphasised tluit the resolui tion stipulates a tribunal determination j of the two Alountpark disputes aud i questions arising from them. This was j necessarv because thc Minister had, until that date, lmeu adainant (m ihe 1 point that all a tribunal was going to determine was the correctness or otlie^ jwihe of what happoned on oue iiacMicular date, February 20. It is coiiiniou knowledge ' that there are iiiany more jissues'in dispute than what happened I on a singie date. | " Ifad the Aiinister been as auxious | as the uuion to resolve these niany imipot'tant issues, tlfe could have been acemiiylished longJ^go, aiul thc nation j F'6ultf"na've bo(u^salved ;froin the e'c ti- , nqniic'loss. ti liiustRib 'e'm'phasised that , tlie_ Auckland waferside workers are not on strike, and' tli6y nevqr have been in th'fs dispute.' , ( / '• A.''r'NeiA day'they are' reporting' for d h t'V, liut'they iiud t'heinsel ves Tocked ofitf* ^Even tite watersiders ' guaranteecl 1 da.ily attendance inonev: . of 7s 4d had been cut i'y o jii:'i;i 1 deeree, but I ask tlib public to re^led'f ' that tlie Unifiu Sthain Ship Coinpaiiy eontiuues to get from the Govefhiiient a daily guarantec of £."300 fur the Alountpark. " Mr. Barnes said the union had been extreinelv ealin des^iite all the irritation to wtiioh it had been subjee'ted. The union was still intent on a disjiassionate consideration of the facts, but it was not prepared to accept responsibility for the actions of another. lie was satisfied .that the public would be surprised, but instructed, by a knowledge of all the facts involved in the dispute, especially over political and official actions. It was not the union wjiich was on the defensive, although manv official assertions conveyed an iinpression that the union was culpable.