Angry farmers converge on port

Press, 12 April 1978, Page 8

Angry farmers converge on port

iNZPA I Wallaroo (South Australia) Thousands of farmers in sheep-laden trucks and light aircraft from several states converged last night on the remote southern port of Wallaroo, South Australia, which has become the focal point of a spiralling national industrial crisis. Armed with pick handles and lengths of pipe, they brought 50,000 sheep in a truck convoy to load aboard the livestock carrier Aries Chief for export to the Middle East. Earlier the ship had left Port Adelaide empty after union action had consistently thwarted plans to load the sheep.

Australia’s 14,000 waterside workers went on strike yesterday morning after tngry West Australian farmers loaded their own animals

iboard a ship at Albany on Monday when the police arrested 62 picketing unionists who had helped prevent the ?xport of live sheep for the >ast three weeks in support if meat workers. The 40,000 meat workers, •vho want guarantees that :here will be two dressed carcasses exported for wery live sheep shipped out if the country, will begin a four-day strike at midnight today.

The Federal Government was last evening reported to be preparing emergency strike legislation to end the dispute which threatens to cost Australia millions of dollars in exports. The Australian Council of Trade Unions president (Mr Bob Hawke) was due last evening to put forward proposals for settling the dispute to representatives of at least four unions at a special conference in Adelaide. Other trade unionists last evening were making the 140kilometre drive northwest from Adelaide to Wallaroo to join 200 meat workers at the port where the Aries Chief was waiting for the wind to drop so it could berth and loading of the sheep could commence.

The Meat Industry Employees’ Union Federal secretary. (Mr Fred Halit, said his men had been instructed not to invite confrontation.

A farmers’ spokesman, Mr lan McLachlan, said the sheep had to be loaded because dozens were dying from disease and the effects of rain and cold after their long wait in the holding yards.

The Waterside Workers* Federation’s Wallaroo branch said members were ( willing to load the sheep provided that they did not have to break picket lines and that farmers stopped loading sheep at Albany.

The police said the meat workers at Wallaroo had not yet tried to form picket lines to prevent the loadings I and farmers were lining the wharves to prevent them doing so.

More than 100 graziers flew from Queensland to Adelaide and an armada of j light planes to help the ! southern sheep farmers break union pickets. In Victoria, farmers said they would stand-by in case they were needed and a busload of graziers was preparing to leave from the N.S.W. Riverina centre of Wagga Wagga for the South 'Australian docks. The South Australia Prei mier (Mr Don Dunstan) said [the dispute over the ratio of I exports of live sheep to pro-, cessed carcasses had been bedevilled by extreme points of view on both sides. He said a reasonable compromise was essential instead of the present situ ; ation of people moving what were virtually “private armies” around the state to support their stands.