THE WATERSIDE DISPUTE

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 128, 23 February 1921, Page 6

THE WATERSIDE DISPUTE

IDLE SHIPS INCREASING CREWS MAY BE PAID OFF YESTERDAY’S DEVELOPMENTS The most important' development in the waterside dispute yesterday was an announcement that the crews of idle ships will be paid off. The Wellington branch of the New Zealand Shipowners' Federation m<yt in the afternoon and decided ilhat xrfierever practicable vessels held up owing to the dispute should be taken into t’he stream, and further, that if the dispute was not settled within forty-eight hours, arrangements should be made for paying off tho various crews. The Stella’s articles expired yesterday, and in view- of the trouble the employers decided not to renew- them, but paid the crew off. The port of Wellington is still showing a considerable amount of activity, owing to the continued employment of men who were engaged before the employers issued their ultimatum of Thursday last'. But the number of men employed is being reduced daily, and nt the same time the number of idle vessels is growing. Seventeen ships in the port were not being worked yesterday. Labour was engaged again for the ferry boats, but no other labour was taken. The development of the dispute is dependent now upon the executive of the Waterside Workers’ Federation, which may possibly ‘act with the Transport Workers’ Federation. The employers have stated their determination not to engage new labour until assured that work will proceed in future in n normal manner, and so far no reply has come either from the waterside unions or from the federation. Mr. L. Glover (president of the Waterside Workers’ Federation), and Mr. J. Roberta (secretary of the federation) returned to Wellington yesterday, .the former from Auckland and the latter from Christchurch. Two overseas vessels were ready to go into the stream yestierdny, but owing to the heavy wind which was blowing the harbourmaster refused to move them. It is understood that three or four others will lie ready to go to tSie stream to-day and if the weather conditions allow they will be. moored there. This will mean a loss of revenue to the Harbour Board, but until it is definitely known which vessels are to be moored in rtlie stream the approximate loss will not be known. Of course, if the trouble is settled within a day or so the loss will, be slight owing to the removal fee which will be charged each vessel. 1 Two gangs were dismissed from tho Hororata Yesterday as they refused to transfer after already having transferred. This'leaves only one batch at work on this steamer, and on this account the apples consigned from Nelson for the vessel will not bo loaded. It- is also understood that one gang was dismissed from the Kaitangata. Several gangs on two boats on Monday ignored the instruction to work on until 12 noon, 5 p.m., and 10 p.m. instead of knocking off from ten to twenty minutes earlier, ms is alleged to have been rile practice. Tn accordance with the employers* decision the men s wages will be docked; they will lose an hour and a half's pav. This is half.nil hour’s pay for each offence. The union has been officially informed of this. Tho men refused to work overtime last night and so all the vessels were idle. The wet weather did not account for this, but t’ho men notified the employers t'hev would not work. . I The number of idle vessels m port yesterday was not added to to such a large extent ag was expected. Three oversea vessels-Garbeta, from Newcastle, Athenic, from London ami Southampton, and Moana, from Sydney—all arrived, but the Opawa and Rimutaka did not. lhe latter vessel, it now turns out, has not left Auckland yet. To-morrow the Dorset is due from Napier, and the Otarama should arrive on Friday from Auckland. The Ng&toro will be idle to-day, the Durham having completed bunkering. The Stella is fully loaded, but is unable to obtain bunkers. The Kapum is in a similar position. As- the employers and watersiders appear to be confining tho dispute to the four main ports, a number of vessels have been diverted to the smaller ports where work is normal. Vessels which were coming to Wellington but have been diverted include the Poherua, diverted to New Plymouth, and Karamu, to-Na-pier. The Kaituna has also 'been diverted. AUCKLAND POSITION UNCHANGED Py Telegraph. —Press Association. Auckland, February 22. Affairs on the waterfront have no new feature, except that the crew cf the steamer'Tnlune have been palid off. The list of vessels anchored has been edited to by the arrival of the Dartford, with 1500 tons of coal. Tho Tofna is due to ■irrive"te-morrow night from Sydney. Her return trip has been abandoned. DUNEDIN MARKS TIME By Telegraph—Press Association. Dunedin, Februaryt22. Employers and workers continue to mark time on the Dunedin waterfront. The Tarawera, Kaiapoi, and Te Anau are still tied up, and no work is being carried out on them. Work on two vessels the Corinna and Senlda, which had been started before tho trouble commenced was continued to-day, as far as the broken weather would permit. With the departure of these two vessels work al Dunedin will have come to a standstill. It is possible that a nunilier of local carting firms will shortly ’have to dispense wtih the services of some ot their men owing to the lack of carting from the wharves. timarcTaffected By Telegraph.—Press Association. Timaru, February 22. '['he watersiders refused last night to wo-k overtime on the Wanaka, loading produce for Auckland. No work was done this afternoon owing to heavy rain. The Canopus, Cosmos, Wanaka,-and John are how in port. SHORTAGE OF~RAILWAY TRUCKS MAIN PROBLEM AT LYTTELTON. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christchurch, February 22. Tho question of overtime, which is perturbing the shipping people of most New Zealand ports, has been quite overshadowed at Lyttelton by the serious position which has arisen in regard to the shortage of railway trucks. The few vessels in port could not work to-day after noon for want of trucks. Tho watersiders say that it is not much use fighting about overtime when there is practically no overtime offering. LARGE SHIPMENT OF APPLES HELD UP By Telegraph.—Press Association. Nelson, February 22. The steamer Hororata was to have taken 13,090 cases of Nelson apples lo England, and the fruit is now being assembled. Word was received this morning that the watersiders would not load the apples. The Knilo.i was loading 7000 cases (o-dav for tranship nent lo the fi.ororr/n, rind 6009 oa*'® were to have boon loaded on Thursday. Every effort

is being made to secure the Hororata’s loading. If this is unsuccessful it will mean a heavy loss to Nelson growers, and tho waste of a portion of their whole year’s work. PLAY THE GAME "DON’T LET THE DIGGERS DOWN!" The -steamer Hororata is to take from Wellington a consignment of Nelson apples, and many cases have already reached Wellington. The following telegram has been addressed to “Watersiders, Wellington,” and signed "Motueka Diggers” : — Don’t let the old Diggers down. There are 'hundreds of us here depending on your loading fruit into Hororata. Play tho game. NOTICE TO DRIVERS SLACKNESS IN CARRYING BUSINESS. Owing to the slackness of the carrying business, resulting from the hold-up on the waterfront, the General Carriers'* and Customhouse and Forwarding Agents’ Industrial Union of Employers have given their drivers one week’s notice. A meeting of the Drivers’ Union is to Ivo held tc-night and it is possible that this nwttier will be discussed, air though nothing definite on the point has been decided yet. Among the matters which will be considered by the union will be the refusal of the employers i.o meet the representatives of the union in conference, for the purpose of discussing ths claims of the Drivers’ Federation for a new agreement, A WATERSIDE WORKER’S VIEWS (To the Editor.) Sir,—May I, as a waterside worker, throw some light', upon the obscurity in which the present trouble appears to most people? It is true that the trouble is due primarily to the fact that the employers’ offer of Id. per hour increase in wages was not acceptable to the majority of the waterside workers of New Zealand, but it is not true ilhat the majority -of the waterside workers were in favour of adopting pin-prickmg methods in t’ho hope of forcing the employers to increase the offer made, lhe union was not consulted, and iVie trouble has arisen owing to the action of a small section of the union urged on, I understand, by certain officials This section is the extreme section—the Red Fed or Bolshevik element—nnd is usually' the cause of any trouble on tho waterfront. They comprise a laqp number of single men. and although they are in a minority their voice is so 'loud that they appear to speak fq.r t'he whole union. At the time of the commencement! of the trouble, work was stack on ths waterfront, and only a few ships were working a® compared with normal times. This was their golden, opportunity, tfor many of these men were working. Most married men, like mvself, can ill afford to lose time off from work, but the men have no regard for God or man, and care not but for tlbeir own devilish ideas. Were a ballot taken on the question of ceasing pinpricking, the majority would be overwhelmingly in favour of doing so, and of giving tho required guarantee to the employers.-I^ani,^etc.^ D Wellington. THE ATTITUDE OF LABOUR (To the. Editor.) gir,—Everywhere we hear the question: How long are the people’ of this country to bo dominated by a body of irresponsibles who flout the law and violate all agreements to uphold their own selfish interests to the detriment of the community at large? The productive power of the country, to which alone can we losok for relief from the heavy burden of taxation and the . high cost of living, is hampered, and it is clear that ft continuance of the conditions propounded by a section of the Labour element will inevitably .lead to further impositions that may wreck the financial position of the Dominion. Various palliatives are suggested, one of which is the introduction of alien labour to work our coal mines and other essential industrial. This is urged on the ground that desperate diseases- require drastic remedies, but I fear this suggestion would only intensify ihe difficulty, and wo must look elsewhere for a solution of our troubles. It is considered by many who have given thought to the matter that a more simple and effective renieify can be found in the withdrawal of a privilege that, more than anything else, has placed the public absolutely at the mercy of extremists and revolutionaries. I refer to the presence bylaw conceded to unionists, and which has beer so 'ruthlessly used that moderate and reasonable working meu cannot call t'heir souls their own. It is -upposeJ-amfl think there is good ground ”ar the supposition—that a very large percentage of labour would welcome relief from the tyranny that is exercised under this pernicious concession. x At the last general election the people o* 1 (bis country succeeded in returning a solid party of moderate men to Parliament, resulting in the formation of a strongly supposed Government, mnd the electors who exerted themselves to this end are now eagerly asking: What is this Government, now that it has the opportunity, going to do to. end tins system of imitation and pm-pncking 'that ts retarding the progress and threatening even the solvency of th country? The situation must be faced. A policy of dilly-dallying only encourages certain parties in the belief Liat the Government is afraid to tackle the Mbiect. and that political expediency rules'’ everything. It may he that an exasperated public will demand with no uncertain voice that prompt, vigorous, and determined action mmd be taken b break the lx>nds that are being fastened around us by a section of lawless mCh to whom may be fiilinj, applied the words of She A.npstle Pau , in his Epistle io the Philippians: Whose end n destruction, whose Gori is their belly, and whoso glory 'is Ehei:' shame. y nui. eto • Sic VOS NON VOBTS. Well ington. February 22. 1921.