GARBAGE NOT COLLECTED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 69, Issue 74, 7 January 1949, Page 2

GARBAGE NOT COLLECTED

Result of Dispute at

Brisbane

CITY FACES DANGER OF EPIDEMIC

(N.Z.P. A.—Copyright)

(Rec. 11.10) BRISBANE, This Day.

A state of extreme emergency has been declared by the Lord Mayor of Brisbane as a result of the breakdown of the city’s garbage and sanitary services. The trouble was caused by the union’s demand for an increase of £1 a week in wages and for improved conditions, including transport to and from work.

Some parts of the city have been without services for more than a fortnight and residents are burying offending matter. The health authorities have issued a grave warning that unless the sanitary services are restored, Brisbane faces the danger of an epidemic. The Acting-Premier has called . a special meeting of the State Cabinet and the City Council has determined on a plan as yet undisclosed to alleviate the position. The position is complicated because Brisbane is not sewered. Some city streets have been without garbage , services since Friday, and owners of cafes have been forced to violate the health regulations by packing rubbish in open boxes. The trouble began when many employees of the previous cleansing contractor refused to sign on with the new contractor at'the- existing pay rates and conditions. A meeting of the employees at the Trades Hall refused to accept suggestions from a compulsory conference that they should work for the new contractor, which is a Sydney firm. Several instances of violence against employees of the new contractor have been reported.