WATERFRONT DISPUTE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 March 1939, Page 6

WATERFRONT DISPUTE

CHILLED BEEF LOADED AT WELLINGTON FARMERS FROM MASTERTON ASSIST. TRUCKS OF FROZEN MEAT ' RETURNED. (By Telegraph—Press Association > WELLINGTON, This Day. More dismissals on Saturday brought the total number of men involved in the waterfront dispute at Wellington to 650. ' .

The loading of the 1200 quarters of ehilled beef into the Doric Star was completed by 7.30 p.m. with the assistance of clerks and farmers.

Twenty farmers came from Masterton to assist with the work. No attempt Was made to load other cargo. It is understood that 900 quarters, which completed Thomas Bbrthwick and Sons’ shipment of chilled beef were loaded, the men finishing work about 8 p.m. Several trucks of frozen meat had tc be returned to Masterton because the storage space available in Wellington was insufficient. There are sdll about 10,000 frozen carcases, 1200 boxes of bytter, 1100 crates of cheese, some thousands of boxes of fruit, and about 4500 bales of wool to loaded into the Doric Star. The Doric Star was to have sailed on Saturday for Port Chalmers to continue loading, but she will not now get away till Tuesday night, even if work is resumed normally today. Sire was to have loaded fruit at Port Chalmers, and the delay has increased the shortage of storage space there. It is believed that arrangements have been made to load some of the fruit into another ship. A number of ships, apart from the overseas vessels and interrisland steamers. required labour on Saturday, but could not be manned. The Waipahi and the Maunganui sailed on Saturday afternoon, both without completing loading. The Maunganui also had on board cargo which had not been discharged. Further discussions with the Minister pf Labour and union officials will be held today by the employers, it is understood, in an attempt to settle the trouble. PORT CONGESTION SERIOUS SHIPPING DELAYS INEVITABLE. EVEN IF WORK IS RESUMED AT ONCE. WELLINGTON, This Day. " Even if normal working conditions prevail on the Wellington waterfront today the port will be hopelessly congested and not nearly all the vessels in port will be able to obtain labour. There were in port yesterday six big overseas liners and a large number of coastal- vessels, in addition to two tankers. This morning, six more big ships are due, making 12 liners ana a Total of more than 40 vessels all told. If the 1130 men on the register of the Waterside Employers’ Bureau, together with the several hundred non-unionists who frequent the waterfront, were all available there would still be a big shortage of labour, but as it is only a proportion of these men will be available this morning. Under the rules of the bureau systerr), men who have been discharged have to stand down for two succeeding days. On Friday and Saturday some 650 men, or half the number available,’ were discharged, and so are not, under the rules of the bureau available for work today. ' In the event of the hold-up continuing, there will be very serious delay because of the rapid accumulation of shipping at this, the peak of the export season, which will lead to congestion over an extended period. MORE DISMISSALS GO SLOW TACTICS CONTINUE DECISIVE DEVELOPMENT EXPECTED. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day.

There were more dismissals on the ground of go slow tactics on the Wellington waterfront this morning. Only an hour after their engagement two gangs on the Doric Star were discharged. In the busy state of the port, 1530 men were required, but only 192, the balance over dismissals, were available on the register. Of these, 170 accepted work. Of the remainder six were reported to be ill. At 8.50 a.m. three gangs on the Karu were ordered to transfer to the Awatea, but refused. If all the men on the register were working, three or four hundred non-unionists, as well as Harbour Board men, would be required tp cope with the work offering, making a total for the port of over two thousand men.

A special stop-work meeting of the Wellington Union is called for tomorrow at 8 a.m. The general desire of the men seemed to be for a meeting today, but the result would have been to take men already engaged off the ships. A decisive development in the hold-up is expected shortly.

HIGH PAY & GO SLOW VITAL MATTER FOR WHOLE OF NEW ZEALAND. OBSERVATIONS BY PRESIDENT OF FARMERS’ UNION. "They are the best paid labourers in the world and have the best conditions In the world and then they turn round and adopt a go-slow policy,” remarked the president, Mr Hugh Morrison, at today’s meeting of the Wairarapa Provincial Executive of the Farmers’ Union, when referring to the waterside hold-up in Wellington. "It makes you wonder,” he added, "what the psychology or mentality of those men must be. Here we have a drought, a shortage of shipping space and then they go and hold up our produce. It is a matter of very vital importance to the Dominion.” A statement on the position in Wellington was made in committee by Mr T. R. Barrel - , a member of the Wellington Harbour Board. TELEGRAM TO PREMIER. It was decided, on the suggestion of Mr Morrison, to send a telegram to the Prime Minister pointing out the serious position in which the farmers of the Wairarapa were placed as a result of the hold-up. An intimation is also to be given that Wairarapa farmers will do “nil possible to help the Government to alleviate the difficult position in which the meat, dairy and fruit industries are placed.”