Banana Boat Dispute Handed Over To F.O.L.

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29909, 24 August 1962, Page 12

Banana Boat Dispute Handed Over To F.O.L.

(From Our Own Reporter)

WELLINGTON, August 23.

The dispute over the unloading of bananas from the Danish ship African Reefer has been handed over to the Federation of Labour, according to the president of the Seamen’s Union (Mr F. P. Walsh), who is also president of the federation. “The waterside workers are prepared to work the ship provided the shipowners give an undertaking that she will not be employed in this trade again,” Mr Walsh said tonight.

Mr Walsh would not enlarge on his statement. It is understood that the action of the watersiders, who refused to work the ship yesterday, was taken in sympathy with the Seamen’s Union. Earlier today Mr Walsh said the African Reefer was a “cheap labour ship.” Mr Walsh added: "I'm not involved in the dispute. I don’t know the merits or the demerits of the case. I’m a peace-loving man and I don't want any more to do with the disputes.” "The difficulty is that if the ship does not come back after this voyage, there will be no bananas in the country.’’ said Mr R. Walker, general manager of Fruit Distributors. Ltd. —the firm responsible for importing the bananas in the African Reefer. Mr Walker said that it was not just a question of a single voyage, but of the complete supply of ” bananas from Samoa to New Zealand. The African Reefer was engaged only because British ships were fully taxed. She was merely doing what had been done over the last six months of last year, without any complaint by any union. “New Zealand has a treaty of friendship with Samoa.” Mr Walker said. “We are still at a loss to know what this is all about. Of course, we cannot even negotiate directly. The matter has been passed to the Waterfront Industry Commission. Natur-

ally, we shall have to stand a considerable loss if we have to dump the cargo, or even if, because of delays, it all has to be unloaded at one port.” Captain J. F. Holm, the managing director of Holm and Company, Ltd., agents for the African Reefer, said today that the vessel had been engaged by Fruit Distributors, Ltd., to make several voyages from Samoa to New Zealand with bananas. No other suitable refrigerated ship was available because the Tarawera had been diverted to the trans-Tasman trade.

“If foreign ships, which occasionally provide opportunities at the right times, are not going to be worked in New Zealand it seems that bananas will not get here.” Captain Holm said. Other ships passing the islands had been used for many years.

“Under these circumstances. surely it is better that the work should, if possible, be done by a ship of a friendly nation. “There is no intention on our part for the African Reefer, or any other vessel for which we are agents, to enter this trade on .a permanent basis, and we shall only do so when New Zea-land-manned ships are not available.”

No comment was available from official sources tonight. The Secretary of Labour (Mr H. L. Bockett) said that, so far, his department had not been active in the dispute.