WHARF LABOUR SHORT

Press, Issue 29236, 21 June 1960, Page 17

WHARF LABOUR SHORT

Port Congested At Wellington

(New Zealand Press Association; WELLINGTON, June 20.

The port of Wellington is becoming crowded with shipping. Though several overseas ships here are endeavouring to recapture lost schedules, work tomorrow is expected to be impaired by a severe shortage of labour. Today a number of overseas cargo ships and coasters lay idle, while others were short-manned. The Waterfront Industry Commission does not forecast any improvement tomorrow. “We were 37 gangs short today and expect to be about the same tomorrow.” said the local manager of the commission (Captain C. D. Watt) tonight “We have advertised for men, but the response has been poor. I can see no immediate improvement to the congestion unless the weather clears considerably.” The assistant-general secretary of the New Zealand Port Employers’ Association (Mr F. A. Conlon) said today that a similar position existed in other ports where meat shipments had been held up by the nine-day load-out ban fin posed by the Federation of Labour.

Several large ships are expected in port during the next few days. The Port Fremantle is expected with 2540 tons of Liverpool cargo to discharge, and the Empire Star is scheduled to arrive from Napier to load. The Waimate and the dutch freighter Houtman are due on Thursday. In Wellington today preference was given the Rangitiki, Persic and Mystic, ships that have been to port for some time and have suffered considerable interruption to their loading programmes. The Wanganella, which will leave on an Islands cruise on Wednesday evening, was also fully manned so that 821 tons of Sydney cargo could be unloaded before she departs.