WATERFRONT HOLD UP

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 March 1939, Page 6

WATERFRONT HOLD UP

LITTLE WORK YESTERDAY TOTAL DISMISSALS NUMBER 830. CONGESTION OF SHIPPING. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Little work was done on the Wellington waterfront again yesterday. As on Saturday, available union labour was engaged at 8 o’clock, and within the next few hours discharged on the ground of “go-slow” working. The three overseas liners first involved, the Doric Star, Piako and Rangitata, were practically the only ships to obtain labour, as only 170 unionists were available and the nonunionists again abstained from accepting employment. With the men discharged yesterday a total of 830 waterside workers have now been discharged during the past three days. The port yesterday was filled to capacity, 140 ships, including 12 oversea vessels, requiring all told more than 1500 men. The Awatea, with fruit and general cargo from Australia, and transhipments from other countries, was able to handle only passengers’ luggage, mails and her fruit. She left Wellington again late last night for Auckland and Sydney, over-carrying her cargo. The only ships to work all day yesterday were the Tamahine, Arahura, Rangatira and Wingatui. Today’s arrivals will include the Shaw, Sa'vill liner Mataroa to complete her loading for Southampton and London and five or six coastal vessels to add to the already exceptionally large number of ships already in port at Wellington. The port is already very badly congested, and all vessels now at Wellington will be considerably behind their scheduled dates at other ports, even if the holdup concludes today. TODAY’S_MEETING TWO MINISTERS ATTENDING. STATEMENT PROMISED LATER, (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Over eight hundred watersiders attended a meeting at the Tivoli Theatre at 8 a.m. Admission was by union ticket, the only non-uniohists present being the Minister of Labour, the Hon. P. C. Webb, and the Minister of Health, the Hon. P. Fraser. A hundred or more watersiders were unable to get in the theatre, which had only seating accommodation for about five hundred, which meant that about 250 or more were already standing and there was no room for more. Seen before entering the ■ building Mr Webb said he would make a statement after the meeting. He was accompanied by his private secretary. It is understood that MT J. Roberts, National Secretary of the watersidets and Mr Webb will be the principal speakers. WORK TO RESUME START THIS AFTERNOON. STATEMENT FOLLOWING MEETING. WELLINGTON; This Day. . Arising from the watersiders’. stopwork meeting normal work will be resumed on the waterfront at 1 o’clock. Most of the men concerned, in the dismissals in the past few days will be eligible for re-engagement, but owing to the increased congestion of the port there will be a marked shortage of labour.