Fuel tanker-drivers stop in Wellington

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32406, 19 September 1970, Page 18

Fuel tanker-drivers stop in Wellington

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, Sept. 18. Some service stations in the Wellington area will be out of petrol before the week-end is over. With the fuel tanker-drivers’ stoppage immobilising a third of the tanker fleet, it was inevitable some customers would run out, an industry spokesman, Mr J. Aston, said this evening. "We can only do what we can to see that all customers get a fair share of the deliveries we are able to make,’’ Mr Aston said. A National Airways Corporation official, Mr I. M. White, said today thqt aircraft fuel-stocks at the Wellington Airport tank farm were getting low, but airlines were not yet embarrassed by the shortage. But Mr Aston said he was confident that the supply of fuel to Wellington Airport would be maintained. Informal talks between oil-company employers and the Wellington Drivers’ Union would be held on Monday, he said. The secretary of the Federation of Labour (Mr J. Knox) said today that he had had informal discussions with the Minister of Labour (Mr Marshal!) on the Auckland boilermakers’ dispute. Boilermakers have stopped work at Price-Norsteel Fabricators and other places. They are refusing to work auto-! matic welding machines; wtihout an additional payment of 25c an hour. Talks between Federated Farmers and freezing-works union representatives con-1 tinued amicably in Wellington today. The discussions are aimed at establishing a procedure for clearing stock! during freezing-work dis--putes. The Secretary of Labour!

(Mr J. Davey), who chaired [the meeting,' said proposals had been submitted for consideration by both parties. The parties will meet again after the proposals have been considered. I ■