TROUBLE AT THE PORT

Taranaki Daily News, 17 February 1921, Page 4

TROUBLE AT THE PORT

REFUSAL TO WORK OVERTIME. TfTE MEN NOT UNANIMOUS SOUTHERN CARGO HELD UP. The waterside workers at the port of New Plymouth decided yesterday that no overtime would be done at the wharf after 5 o’clock last night, and when the hour came all work was stopped on the two steamers in port—La Merced (coal) and Flora (merchandise). No overtime labor was called for the La Merced, but a call for men to work the Flora’s cargo after 5 o’clock met with a refusal. All efforts by the New Plymouth manager of the Union Company (Mr. Morrison) to secure labor were unavailing, and of the 44 men working on the Flora during the day 36 were emphatically against working overtime, while 8 were willing to work. In consequence of this overwhelming majority it was impossible to carry on the work and the men left at 5 o’clock.

The action of the New Plymouth men clouds an otherwise brighter outlook, for overtime work has been resumed at the principal ports of the Dominion. The move also came as a surprise, as the attitude of the local men of late had given no hint of irritation tactics being adopted. Whether the New Plymouth men are acting under instructions from headquarters or not is not known, as officials of the union refused to make any statement when interviewed by a Daily News reporter last night. It is gathered that the trouble will be confined to overtime work, as has been the case at Auckland and Wellington, and that the ordinary calls for labor this morning will be responded to, and that work will proceed till five p.m CHANGE AT AUCKLAND. OVERTIME WORK RESUMED. • By Telegraph —Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. Overtime, on every ship in port was worked to-night. Tfie departure of vessels will now be expedited, as thewatersiders have apparently reverted t< the. old order of things. WORK DELAYED AT DUNEDIN Dunedin, Feb. 16. A stop-work meeting of watersiders delayed work on the waterfront till 10 o’clock. Mr. Roberts (federation secretary) was present. He had no information to divulge, and work proceeded afterwards normally.