Refusal To Staff Sub-station

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31366, 11 May 1967, Page 1

Refusal To Staff Sub-station

The Public Service Association yesterday informed the Railway Tradesmen’s Association and the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants that members of the P.S.A. would refuse to staff the Woolston electric sub-station.

The secretary of the Canterbury section of the P.S.A. (Mr J. McKenzie) yesterday said that the State Services Commission, had also been advised of the association’s stand.

The sub-station serves homes and light industries in the Lyttelton-Heath-cote district and the Lyttelton Harbour Board. Mr McKenzie said that on no account would members of his association do work normally done by members of the R.T.A. or the A.S.R.S. The effect of the strike on one major Christchurch concrete company is becoming critical. 'The general manager of the firm said that if the strike continued as many as 50 men could be stood down. They would be reengaged as soon as business returned to normal. He said the situation was accelerated by a general slackness in the building industry in Christchurch. A member of the executive of the railway workers’ strike conunitee in the Carlisle Street Hall yesterday said that one major transport company north of Christchurch had been soliciting business around Christchurch to send goods to the West Coast and Blenheim. If this particular company

persisted in flouting a warning given by the strike committee, its shareholders could suffer. NOT HANDLED

One transport company had attempted to send two containers of goods normally carried by rail to Lyttelton for shipment to Wellington by last evening’s ferry. The Lyttelton Waterside Workers’ Union had assured the strike committee that both containers would be left on the Lytelton wharves and under no circumstances would be handled. The executive member said that on Tuesday night another road transport company had attempted to load goods in the dark. “This company was told today that this type of action would not be tolerated.”

He said that the particular company’s motor transport vehicles were now being closely watched. The R.T.A. and A.S.R.S. yesterday gave special dispensation for a railways truck to transport oxygen cylinders and methylated spirits bottles for use at the Ashburton Hospital. The district traffic manager of railways in Christchurch (Mr M. R. Leineweber) said that no dispensation was needed, in this instance. NO PELTS Both the North Canterbury Freezing Company, of Kaiapoi, and the New Zealand Refrigerating Company’s Smithfield works are unable to transport pelts from their works because of the strike.

Yesterday it was reported to the strike committee that three out of the six overhead cranes in E cargo shed, at the railways yards were out of commission. The big cranes are normally serviced by R.T.A. members. The strike has greatly reduced the numbers travelling in the school holidays, according to the office of the Government Tourist Bureau in Christchurch.

Mr G. Venning, supervisor of the bureau’s internal travel booking office, said there had been a sharp decrease. “With the strike on, people have decided not to go away these 1 holidays. There are heavier

bookings for the inter-island ferry arid N.A.C., but the general picture is one of less travel.” He said there had been a lot of refunds on reservations already made. The bureau reception officer, Mr L. G. Hunt, said Milford Sound was out for all tourists except those in privately chartered buses as the resort was normally served almost exclusively by Road Service buses. The Dunedin, Milford, Queenstown, Hermitage, Christchurch, round trip had had to be altered. Parties were now staying longer at Queenstown and minibus trips and flights were available to take tourists to Milford Sound for the day. Jenkins Motors, of Gore, which carried 12 passengers and freight from the interisland ferry at Lyttelton to Invercargill yesterday, will make its final run this morning. The Christchurch agents for Jenkins Motors, New Zealand Travel Service, said that the service would have to be discontinued as the appropriate railways union considered the service was one usually fulfilled by the Railways Department.