SHIPPING HOLD-UP.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2850, 24 February 1925, Page 2

SHIPPING HOLD-UP.

WATERSIDERS’ IRRITATION TACTICS. _ MARAMA SAILS. Wellngton, February 23. The Mavama’s crew hre signing oji again at 2 p.m. and the vessel will leave for Sydney at 5 o’clock. HAPPENINGS AT SOUTHERN PORTS. Christ church. Last Night. The watersiders al Lyttelton this afternoon accepted a call for meat loading labour for the N.Z. Company’s Tekoa. Dunedin, Last Night. There was no call for the Moeral.i this morning, the vessel being fumigated in pursuance of a verbal assurance that after fumigation she will be worked. It is considered probable the men will respond to the call to-morrow. TROUBLE IX FRESH PLACE. . The waterside trouble lias broken <<nl in ;i fresh place, says last night’s Wellington Post, the centre having shifted from the Rotorua to the liner Tniroa, which arrived at Wellington from Liverpool, via Auckland, yesterday. When a call for labour to work the vessel was made at 7.45 o’clock this morning, there was no response on the part of the watersiders and the position was the same when a second call was made at 0.30 o’clock.

The position was summed up this morning in a brief statement made to a “Post” reporter by the secretary of the Waterside Employers' Association (Mr W. 11. G. Benin tt). Mr Bennett stated: — Calls were made at a quarter to eight and half past nine this mornin<r, but there was no response on I lie part of the watersiders. Absolutely no reason was given by the men in explanation of their actions. They simply don’t want the job. The employers have considered the matter. and at the present time are taking no action whatever. Further calls will be made this afternoon. Some difficulty was also experienced in manning the coastal steamer Breeze, which was an arrival at Wellington yesterday from Lyttelton with a general cargo. Only one gang was engaged; no other ’ahour offering for the vessel. A similar position has arisen on the Storm, which is working with one gang.

The employers held a meeting this morning to consider the position, hut as indicated above decided to take no action at present. The ( pinion is held generally, however, that the employers will decide upon some course of action before very long, unless, of course, the difficulty is overcome very quickly. Officials of the Waterside Workers Union and the federation had no comment to make regarding the position. The secretary of the federation (Mr .T. Roberts') told a “Post" reporter that he knew nothing about the matter. Ho did not (•wii know that the Tairoa was held up. The seereary of the local union (Mr -T. Johnson ) said that all he knew was that he was not sure as to what the position was. The Tairoa lias a general cargo from Liverpool for discharge at Wellington, and later she is to proceed to South Island ports to complete. Apart from the inconvcnienec caused by not being able to discharge the holding of the Tairoa in port, even for a day or two, is an expensive matter for the owners a- running expenses do not cease v'. hen the boat is idle. Further calls for labour at 1 o’elock this afternoon also failed to draw any response from the v atersiders.