BREAKING UP THE BLOCKADE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1916, 26 November 1913, Page 8

BREAKING UP THE BLOCKADE.

PORT SCENES;. FORTY THOUSAND BAGS OF SUGAR COME ASIIOiIE. NEW UNION ROLL, 1350. -MORE SEAMEN NOW, TURNING TO. At 5 p.m. yesterday it was officially announced.that the nipuibershin oi' tin** new Waterside Workers' Union had reached 1350. Of this number fully ](|ii(j worn working on tho waterfront. M r W. O. Long, secretary of the new union' estimated that 300 men who were at present on tho roll would shortly be leaving for their homes in the country and it may be necessary to bring more men in from tho rural districts, so that tho working membership may not sink below 1200 at least-. At present about 500 more men aro wanted, and when this number has been obtained the- roll will be closed. It is anticipated that tho lull membership of tlie union will be reached by the beginning of next week. Among the men who joined the Arbitrationist Union yesterday were lialf-a-dozen ex-strikers. Fully ISO of the old watersiders have now turned to Though some of the ships were working short-handed, cargo was handled with dispatch. Practically, every vessel in tho harbour was working, and "cods were being carted all da\\ During the late afternoon Tain interfered, nml work on several vessels stopped. The slicds have assumed their normal aspect,'and great quantities of transhipments 'have been sent forward. Several hundred tons of merchandise was also carted awav into town.

Thirteen Oversea Boats to Date. Given favourable weather, the oversea steamers Mimiro, Marerc, and Ncrchana will cloar the port for the south to-day, and the Coriuihic is expected to quit for Lyttelton to-inorrsw. Practically all coastwiso freighters aro now running. and little difficulty has been found m obtaining crews for the;:! A number of,seamen and firemen who gave notice have returned, and have signed on various steamers "trading out of Wellington. Every day sees the return of two or three seamen. With tho sailing of the New Zealand Shipping Company's steamer Opawa from Wellington to London oh Saturday, as many as thirteen Homo boats will- have finished off hero during the. past fortnight-. They are: Athenic, lie inuera, Corinthic, Northern, Dorset. Rimutaka, Mimiro, Marere, Nereltana, Arawa, Hercules, Opawa, and lua Or;i. Numerous intercolonial and coastal steamers have also had their output and loading dealt with. As far as tho quayside is concerned tlie strike is now hardly discernible. Enter—Sugar Supply. The three ehicf shipping events yesterday wore the arrival of the Arawa from London with 500 immigrants, the discharge of the Melbourne's coal for the electric light station, and tho discharge of about 40,000 bags of sugar ex Eniierdalo at tho Wool Wharf. Tho immigrants, ox Arawa, appeared to be surprised to see so many special constables about, but it was not till somo of the crew came ashore that the special men were treated to a few indignities. ',Not much- notice was taken of the nieii, however, and the incidents scon passed off. Sling alter,sling of sugar was lauded from tlie >holda ! of'the Ennordale at the Wool Wharf.' Dozens of carts were in' attendance. For the. first time since, tho strike began the gates opposite.. this wharf wero opened for traffic. This was to save tho carters time and troublo in getting the. sugar away. The new coal gangs liavo done excellent work and many of the new men have become quite experienced. There is, of course, a knack in -working coal, just as there is iu most other branches of work, and the Arbitrationists seem to have acquired it. The discharge of the colliers Wairuna, Kainona, Pchcrua and Melbourne went briskly ahead all day. To-day promises to be quite as busy as any previous one on'the waterfront, and it is estimated that there will be work for fully 1200 men.

Twenty-eight jVessels To-day. In addition to several of the vessels which were working yesterday the iiitercolonial_liner -Matinganui will be working. New coastwiso cargo-carriers ut ilio wharves to-day will be: Cormna, Blenheim, Mapourika, Ngahere, Huia and l'utiki. Altogether-28 vessels will be berthed. All except tho' MararoJi will bo working cargo. Tho berthing list for to-day is as follows:—

«... Tons. 'Pons Cormtliic 12,231 Pohcrua 1,175' ltemucra 11,276 Enncrdalc 1.147 Opawa 10.C00 Melbourne ijm Avawa 9,372 Ncaherc 1090 Maunganui 7.527 Hinemoa 542 Ncrehana ....... 6.533 Putilu 49 iMarerc ...a 6.433 StormMrrt 217 Mimiro 6,255 Queeu of the \Yamma 3.947 South 198 Hercules o,7£9 Moa m iTararoa 2,698 Kapuni io«> Kaiapoi 2,503 ifuia 127 Kamona 1.425 Blenheim ...... .. 120 Comma 1.271 Opav/a no Mapourika 1.203