BAN ON DUTCH SHIPPING

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25247, 28 July 1947, Page 6

BAN ON DUTCH SHIPPING

N.Z. TRADE WITH FAR EAST

WATERSIDERS DESIRE DEVELOPMENT

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, July 27. He was confident that the people of New Zealand, and the watersiders, desired to see trade developed between this country and the Far East, said the national secretary of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union (Mr T. Hill) yesterday. However, this desire was obviously governed by the preliminary requirement of a restoration of peace and demScracy in Indonesia, he added. The Waterside Workers’ Union had not lifted the ban on Dutch shipping which had been in operation since the latter part of 1945 in the interests of the Indonesians. Referring to a remark in the House of Representatives by a member of the Opposition that the national president of the Watersiders’ Union (Mr H. Barnes) was the “foreign secretary of New Zealand,” Mr Hill commented: “To those who make facetious remarks about foreign ministers, it is well to observe that similar observations were made when the watersiders refused to load scrap iron for Japan. With all due deference to critics, our foreign policy, as they term it, has proved to be a greater and more effective contribution to democracy than their statements.”

Mr Hill said the question of lifting the ban on Dutch shipping would eventually be decided by the union, but, in view of the current hostilities between the Dutch and the Indonesians, a change in policy was unlikely. The union was ‘aware of the hopes to resume trade between New Zealand and the Far East by means of Dutch shipping, but the conditioning factor was the onslaught upon the Indonesians.

There had been an impression that the watersiders in Australia were about to remove the ban recently, but he was advised yesterday afternoon by the Australian Waterside Workers’ Federation of the real position. It had been agreed,' at the request of the Dutch and Indonesian Governments, to load Dutch goods in Australia, both Governments having agreed that 66 per cent, of the total cargoes shipped would be discharged at republican ports. Payment would be made by the public through the shipment of 75,000 tons of rice to Dutch-occupied areas of Java. i „ Advice from waterside officials in Australia made it clear that the new development in Indonesia would prevent this agreement from operating. The Australian Waterside Workers’ Federation was uncompromising in continuing the ban on Dutch shipping. Mr Hill said the Watersiders’ Union in New Zealand had its own appraisal of the situation, although it was evident that Australia was much more closely affected by the developments. It was also to be noted that the world trade union movement had received appeals to support a boycott of Dutch shipping on behalf on the Indonesians and that the New Zealand trade union movement had made it clear that all peoples should be free to determine their forms of government.