STILL HELD UP

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 269, 26 August 1946, Page 4

STILL HELD UP

GREEK STEAMER KATOOMBA NO GOVERNMENT MOVE (N.Z. Press Association-—Copyright.) (Rec. 12.45 p.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. The Government has not yet made any move to end the hold-up of the steamer Katoomba, which lias been delayed in port for six weeks.

She was declared black because maritime unions alleged that the new owners had refused to provide Australian rates of pay and conditions for the crew. The owners are Greek. The vessel is now under Panamanian registry, and her destination is Genoa, with Italian prisoners and wool. The owners do not concede the right of unions to decide the manner in' which crews of foreign vessels should be engaged. Although wool producers appealed over three weeks ago to Mr J. B. Chifley to end the dispute, the Minister of Supply and Stripping, Senator W. P. Ashley says that the Government does not propose to take any steps against the union ban.

Reports that abnormally high tides were causing Cronulla promenade, together with the North Cronulla Surf Club building, worth £7OOO, to slip into the sea, resulted in Sydney’s biggest traffic jam since 1938. Fifteen thousand motor-cars travelling to the resort town 15 miles south of Sydney to inspect the damage caused blocks which extended for five miles.

On Friday huge seas tore down a third of the promenade and underminer the remainder. The clubhouse withstood the pounding yesterday, but began to collapse at 10.30 last night. * * =:= * *

A Melbourne message says that one man was killed and another seriously injured when a Ryan monoplane hit high tension wires at Geelong. The passenger was killed instantly, and the pilot was admitted to hospital with a fractur-ed arm and leg and probably a spinal injury.

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