OYSTER DISPUTE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 111, 20 February 1941, Page 7

OYSTER DISPUTE.

MERCANTS’ SUGGESTED TERMS GOVERNMENT' ACTION MOOTED a (Per Press Association). INVERCARGILL, February 19. A suggestion of Government intervention if both parties in the oyster dispute do not settle their differences immediately is contained in a telegram received by the merchants to-day. The merchants sent messages to-night to tho Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon.' p. Fraser) and the Minister for Labour (the Hon. P. C. Webb) stating the terms on which they were willing that an agreement should be concluded. A representative of the merchants stated to-night that he has hopes of a settlement being reached to-morrow. The merchants received! a telegram from the secretary of the Wholesale Fish Merchants’ Association, who is also a members of the Fisheries Advisory Committee to the Bureau of Industry. It stated that the Government instructed* both parties to proceed with an agreement forthwith. Failing a: settlement the Government would intervene in tlie dispute. A full meeting of merchants was held to-night to: consider the telegram, and it decided to inform the Ministers that the merchants were agreeable to> a renewal of the terms of employment fixed ‘by the Industrial Court after the dispute in June last year. If the contract were, renewed in its entirety the merchants would he prepared to grant a cost of living bonus of -5 per cent, retrospective to August I*2 of last year. They hoped that in these circumstances the' Government would instruct the men to take the oyster boats to sea. It is stated that the merchants have been prepared to offer these terms since last November. Information was not available tonight whether the men have received similar advice of the Government’s intention to intervene if the dispute is not settled.