STILL DECLARED "BLACK"

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXV, Issue 14298, 22 February 1947, Page 3

STILL DECLARED "BLACK"

WORK ON LINER WANGANELLA Sympathy With Australian Seamen Meeting Held In 1 Private P.A. Wellington, Feb. 21. All the Wellington unions whose members are working or likely, to be involved in work on the Wanganella now in the floating dock continued to-day to declare the ship "black" in sympathy with the claims of the Australian seamen on the vessel for danger money. Union representatives met the employers' agents at a conference presided . over by (Mr E. Taylor, Secretary of Labour, this morning. Tho unionists advanced claims for 17s Gd danger money for the Australian seamen from the time the Wanganella was stranded on Barrett's Reef until she was berthed in tho harbour. They also asked for 10s an hour for the New Zealand workers. After- the discussions the employers' representatives left to communicate with their agents in Australia. A reply has not yet been given to the union officials, but may be available to-morrow . The men of seven unions are standing firmly behind the claims of the, Australian seamen advanced by the federal secretary of the Australian Seamen's Union, Mr E. V. Elliott. Until'satisfaction is achieved on these claims they are continuing to declare the Wanganella "black." The dispute involves engineers, boilermakers, shipwrights, plumbers, harbour workers and waterside carpenters. Mr D. E. Eadie and Captain G. McDonald had no statement to' mako tc-night on the meeting held to-day with the members of the unions concerned.

. "The meeting was held in private," said Mr Eadie, "and there is no statement I can make on any matters discussed."