Cargo ban in U.S. lifted

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33121, 11 January 1973, Page 2

Cargo ban in U.S. lifted

•VZ.f'A. Staff Correspondent

WASHINGTON. January 10. American watersiders today ended their ban on the handling of Australian and New Zealand cargo, after the decision of Australian watersiders to work American ships.

In recognition of the failure of dockers in New York to unload New Zealand freight for the United States, the watersiders said they '\ould unload only New Zealand cargo tonight.

But the plans of the union to do this were dashed when the Columbus Line’s traffic manager in New York (Mr Ken Egam) ordered the ship to sail for Philadelphia. ”We have a labour shortage at our container terminal, and believe we’d do better just now to send the ship on to Philadelphia,” Mr Egam said. The Columbus Australia would return to New York in three days, he said. The head of the International Longshoremen’s Association (Mr T. W. Gleason) said this afternoon that New Zealand cargo would be given priority where possible because its unloading had been unnecessarily delayed. He noted in a telephone interview that the United States and Australia had "come to peacetime” faster than had the Presidential envoy (Dr Henry Kissinger) and Hanoi’s emissary (Le Due Tho) at the Vietnam peace talks. Mr Gleason said he was, “happy, happy—we are allies and friends.” However, he added, “I don’t want to see these Australian guys think they can punch us in the! nose, knock out our jobs, and expect us not to retaliate.” The United States Government welcomed the decision by Australian waterside! workers to lift their boycott' of American ships, imposed I last week as a protest against the heavy bombing of North Vietnam.

A State Department spokesman, Mr Charles Bray,, in noting this, recalled that the Secretary of State (Mr William Rogers) met the Australian Ambassador (Sir James Plimsoli) on Tuesday j after the Ambassador’s return ! from consultations in Can-' berra with the new Australian Labour Government. Mr Bray called it a useful: discussion, which took the' form of a review of bilateral relations between the United States and Australia. He declined to say whether there would be any changes in relations between the two! countries.

TRADE “AT RISK” In Canberra today, the Liberal Party spokesman on i primary industry (Mr Mai-' colm Fraser) said that further' extended union bans on: United States shipping, and' public statements of condemnation of the United; States by the Prime Minister (Mr'Gough Whitlam),i could cause the loss of Ameri-; can meat markets. Mr Fraser said Mr Whit-i lam was putting Australia’s slooom meat trade “at risk." “It is not only a question! of the s2Bom sales to the United States. The real effect of the loss of the United! States market would be the

impact it would have on the domestic price. The price of' stock at saleyards could be halved if union bans on trade with the United States are reimposed, as has been threatened. This could result in the loss of Ssoom a year for Australia’s meat produc-j ers. It would result in a great loss of work for many people in Australia, especially in the meat trade.” he said.