THE SUGAR SHORTAGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 38, 13 February 1920, Page 4

THE SUGAR SHORTAGE.

PREMIER AND WATERSIDEU, UNION RESENTS CHARGE. The officials of the Auckland Waterside Workers' Union strongly resent-Jir. Massey's statement that the sugar short age is partly due to the loss oi a whole cargo of raw sugar last September, when the watersiders refused to unload the steamer Fiona at the Chelsea refinery, with the result that she was taken ou to Sydney.

The president of the union, Mr. Nicholas Saunders, told a reporter that he wanted to combat Mr. Massey's attempt to put responsibility on to the watersiders' shoulders. It was true that the Fiona was. not unloaded, for the reason that she carried a non-union crew, shipped in Sydney during the maritime strike. In engaging such a crew, the Colonial Sugar Company ought to have known that trouble would ensue. The company was asked to bring another crew across, but preferred to take the vessel away unloaded. "Now, as for the cargo," said Mr. Saunders, "it is in; correct to say that the whole of it— about 6000 tons—was lost to New Zea ; land. So far as we know, the Fiona never unloads more than 4000 tons here, and takes the balance of 2000 tons over to Sydney. When the trouble occurred, we were given to understand that only 3000 tons would be unloaded here, and that the other 3000 tons would be taken to Sydney, where there was a shortage. Now, 3000 tons of raw sugar, with,deductions for refining, would only mean a few pounds, pf-wjiite sugar_per.hea.il of the population—not nearly enough to account for the present shortage. Besides, the incident occurred nearly .five months ago.

"We believe that the shortage is due to* either a lack of shipping from Fiji, or a shortage of raw sucar there, possibly both. It is certain .that the Sugar Company has been importing very mncl less sugar by the Union Company's steamers than it did before the war, when boats like the Aparima and.the Waitemata were used in the trade. The population of New Zealand has increased since then, and if less raw surar is coming in it is not surprising that tberp is n she-fa <ro. I mention this," concluded Mr. Saundevs, "to show that there is no need to blame the water: side workers unjustly for the present state of affairs."'