SYDNEY STRIKE

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33819, 16 April 1975, Page 21

SYDNEY STRIKE

(N.Z. Press Assn—Copyright) SYDNEY, April 15.

The New South Wales Premier (Mr Lewis) an- ' nounced today that Sydney’s 1 beaches might be closed if sewage pollution became too high. Untreated sewerage is pouring into the sea because, of a strike by Metropolitan! Water Board employees. The! Bondi treatment plant is al-1 ready out of service, and’ that for Malabar is only in [ ipart use. I The director of the New [South Wales Pollution Con-1 itrol Commission, Mr Eric! [Coffey, said today that regu-i I lar pollution checks were [ ’being made on Sydney’s; [beaches, but not enough! [ information was available * [ yet to establish if pollution i readings were too high. “Obviously, if any alarming reading occurred, immediate action would be! taken,” he said. Union officials said today’ that the 11,000 water board* men on strike were almost; certain to reject a State! Industrial Commission order! to resume work when they; met on Friday. The strike, which began! last Friday, has already! caused hundreds of millions; of gallons of raw sewerage; to be discharged into the sea; near Sydney and on south coast beaches; left many! broken water mains unre-[ paired, leaving some homes; without water and others with very low pressure; and! compelled some families to [ draw domestic water supplies from standpipes in the* street.