LATEST CABLE NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 21 February 1924, Page 2

LATEST CABLE NEWS

DOCKERS’ STRIKE.

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION

FOOD CONTROL

LONDON, Feb. 19,

Mr MucuDnald has appointed Mr Wedgwood as Commissioner o f Food in view of the possibility of rationing.

ANOTHER DOCK STRIKE. LONDON. Feb. 19

One thousand amalgamated engineers at Southampton Docks have struck owing to the breakdown ot a wages conference, billowing on the dispute on February 11. The men are demanding an increase to lo hd. The employers offer a 2s Gd rise.

STRIKE NEWS. LONDON. Feb. 19.

lifg bodies of pickets and correspondingly large 1i,,i1i,-s ol police, both mounted and unmounted, arc mi duly at the dock gates, but to-day there was distinctly less work done at the docks than on .Monthly. Sonic Lascars were unloading private baggage from the Narktiuda, but otherwise Tilbury Dock was at a standstill. The business community is indignant at the failure of the Post Office to deal with the American mail, live thousand mail bags lying in tenders at Plymouth since the week-end. The fetchers who move the carcases from the cold stores at Smitliticld have joined the strike, owing to their personal grievances. This is the chief cause of the shortage of supplies of meat, and of an increase in the wholesale prices.

Mr Bovin (dockers’ leader) referring to the meat shortage, said he was quite unmoved by the public hardship. The public hitherto had eared nothing about the dockers’ troubles. There should have been the present disturbance months ago, before the existing trouble developed. The “Daily Telegraph’s” Parliamentary correspondent says it is stated in Ministerial circles that the dockers have made an offer to the Government to allow the'passage of essential food stuffs, so long as there is no profiteering.

The Cabinet's warning against profiteering has followed.

.Meantime, the Board of Trade is quietly enquiring as to the position of the country’s food supplies. The Court of Inquiry in connection with the dock dispute met privately to-night to discuss the preliminaries. The first public sitting will be held at the Law Courts on Wednesday. Hon Mr Shaw stated in the House of Commons that the Court of Inquiry was not an Arbitration tribunal, as no undertaking to abide by its decisions had been sought or given by the parties. He hoped- the proceedings of the Court would he public. The Liverpool employers have intimated their willingness to accept- the Court’s unanimous decision, if the Unions will do the same. The most important development, today in the direction of intensifying ttiq strike was the refusal by ten thousand London carmen to handle any goods from the docks, tile wharves, or the warehouses.

Mr Bovin declared:—“Wo have 80,000 road transport workers within our membership. We can stop them all, if necessary, but we do not want to embarrass the public if there is a chance of a settlement. As a last resource, we could stop the passenger transport workers.” Many firms are writing an offer to pay- the dockers’ demands, says M.r Bovin, if their ships are discharged, but there must lx* a, national settlement. Air Ben Tillet states the dockers all over the country will not brook any intervention. They mean to have a straight tight for the 2s a day increase. As far as he could see, tho strike would last several weeks.