Oystermen Remain In Port

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29749, 16 February 1962, Page 8

Oystermen Remain In Port

(New Zealand Press Association)

INVERCARGILL. Feb. 15. No Bluff oyster boats will put to sea tomorrow, the second day ot the 1962 oyster season. The dispute between oystermen and merchants remains unsettled and until the dispute is settled the boats will not go out The oystermen are seeking an increase of 2d a sack from the merchants. As a result, thousands of people throughout New Zealand, who regard oysters as a culinary highlight, are left unsatisfied. The secretary of the Oystermen's Union, Mr T. W. Pasco, of Bluff, said tonight that the oystermen met this afternoon and decided to approach the official spokesman for the merchants, Mr

H. C. Robjohns, of Bluff, for I another conference tomor- • row. ‘ Mr Robjohns tonight re- > fused to say whether the ’ merchants would meet the [ oystermen tomorrow. ! Mr Pasco said the dispute , was deadlocked because ’ “they won’t agree to what we want and we won't agree , to what they want.” “We’re not going out until j this thing is settled.” he 1 added. The district officer of the > Labour Department (Mr A. . J. Peterson) said tonight that • the Oystermen’s Union, he t thought, was in some way > connected with the Sea- ■ men’s Union. The oyster - ■ men were employed on a

contract basis and therefore the department had no jurisdiction over them. The Minister of Marine (Mr Gerard) said from Wellington tonight that he had not been informed of the dispute. “I read it in the paper,” he said.

He said that, at present, in view of the fact that it was a money dispute, it would come within the province of the Minister of Labour (Mr Shand). However, said Mr Gerard, if the - dispute dragged on his department might be called upon to intervene. Mr Shand was on his wav back to Wellington from Hamilton and was not available for comment.