Eight Freighters Unable To Sail

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32126, 23 October 1969, Page 1

Eight Freighters Unable To Sail

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, October 22. The dispute over the employment of a motorman on the freighter Wainui is likely to bring to a standstill more than 37,000 tons of shipping at Auckland if a settlement is not reached.

Eight freighters belonging to the Union Steam Ship Company are all due to sail tomorrow if a settlement is reached between the Institute of Marine and Power Engineers and the Seamen’s Union. The eight freighters Wainui, Kaitoke, Kaimai, Waimate, Marama, Tofua, Koraki and Hawea are employed on four different trades which service ports in the Far East, Australia, the Pacific Islands and the South Island. Two of the ships, the Marama and Hawea have set time-tables and the disruption of their sailing dates could eventually mean missing complete round voyages. Two other Union company freighters and the Government • owned islands trader Moana Roa might also be affected. These Union company ships are the Karetu —which berthed today—and the Ngahere. which is due to arrive at Auckland tomorrow.

No sailing dates have yet been fixed for the two ships and they will therefore not be affected at once. Others Due

The Moana Roa is also due to sail tomorrow. Although she is owned by the New Zealand Government she is managed and run by the Union company. One other Union company ship, the freighter Kawaroa, is due at Auckland before the week-end. The institute’s general secretary, Mr C. S. Harnett, flew to Wellington this afternoon for talks with the Minister of Labour (Mr Shand) in an effort to try to break the dispute. Mr Shand said in Wellington tonight that there was nothing to report as a result of discussions he had had so far about the dispute. Mr Shand’s talks this afternoon were with Mr Harnett, Mr J. O’Reilly, also of the Institute of Marine and Power Engineers, and Captain J. W.

Dickinson, general secretary of the Merchant Service Guild. The Secretary of Labour (Mr N. S. Woods) was also present Mr Shand said he had asked the institute and guild representatives to come to see him about the dispute. The dispute started last week when the second engineer of the freighter Wainui, waiting to sail for the Far East, refused to take a motorman on the grounds that he was unsuitable. No other member of the Seamen’s Union will stand in the man’s place.