SHIPS IDLE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 215, 11 September 1928, Page 9

SHIPS IDLE.

WATERSIDE DISPUTE. £4,000,000 Worth Of Wool Jeopardised. CRISIS IN AUSTRALIA. (Received 11 a.m.) SYDNEY, this day. All vessels at Brisbane, Adelaide and Tasmanian wharves were idle yesterday and no labour was offered at the afternoon pickups. : About 30 vessels are affected, including overseas liners. The steamer Canberra sailed from Townsville, the absent iiiemen returning to duty. There is no trouble so far at Fremantle, but if afternoon labour is required there, it will not be provided. A prolonged struggle at the present moment would be disastrous owing to the desire of shippers to get the wool away, of which £4,000,000 Worth is awaiting shipment. At a conference of waterside workers a resolution was adopted agreeing to tho formation of a marine workers' industrial union in order to build up a powerful organisation capable of defending the workers' interests. The conference instructed the; Federal Committee of Management to enter into negotiations with all the maritime unions with a view to effecting an immediate amalgamation with them and to bring into existence a marine transport workers' industrial organisation of Australia and New Zealand. This will cover all the workers in the maritime section of the transport industry. Nearly all the wharf labourers presen ted themselves for work on the Sydney wharves yesterday morning, but when calls were made in the afternoon the men refused to commence' work.