TROUBLE ON THE WATERFRONT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2982, 20 January 1917, Page 8

TROUBLE ON THE WATERFRONT

•HON. W. H. HERRIES ADDRESSE! THE MEN

DIFFICULTY ABOUT A COLLIER

MINISTER STATES THE CASE .

Delay that has occurred in the unloading of an Admiralty collier at Wellington was discussed ab a meeting of waterside workers in the waiting-room at the Queen's Wharf yesterday afternoon. Several hundred watersiders attended, and were addressed by the Acting-Minister of Labour (Hon. W. H. Herries), who explained the conditions under which the ship had come to Wellington, and urged the men to proceed with tho unloading at once. The manager of tho Waterside Employment Bureau (Mr. W. Bennett) presided.

"Many rumours have been circulated regarding this shipment of coal, and I thought it my duty to como here and place the facts plainly beforo you," said the Minister. "I don't want to mince matters, and I don't want to conceal anything. I .want to be perfectly frank with you. .This ship is an Admiralty collier, chartered by.the Admiralty. As you know, the Admiralty colliers aro practically on a time-table, and tho Government cannot stand any delay in their discharge. This is not a dispute between a shipping company and yourselves. Tho Imperial authorities aro asking why the vessel has been delayed, and the prompt release of the collier for some other service may bo a matter of the utmost importance to tho Empire."

"You want to know why tills collier has come here and 1 am going to tell you." added the Minister. New Zealand did not produce nil the coal that was required for homo consumption. The Railway Department, of which he was the official head,; would be glad to use New Zealand coal exclusively, but the necessary supplies could not be obtained. The Department, therefore, used about 200,000 tons of New Zealand coal annually, and imported another 100,000 tons from Newcastle. The mines of tho Dominion produced some two million tons of coal annually, but that was.not enough to supply the local market, and importations wero necessary. Late in 1916 a striko occurred at Newcastle, and New Zealand's supply was restricted. The striko lasted six weeks. Then tho West Coast supply was restricted for a short period by a strike at Blackball. A further fact to bo remembered was that the output of coal on tho AVest Coast was declining, owing to the enlistment of many miners, and a consequent shortage of labour at the mines. The Railway Department had been compelled to cat into its stocks of coal towards the end' of 1916. and even now it was in a difficult position.' Tho Department was just "hanging on," and lio could tell tho meeting that ho had _ been compelled at one stago to consider tho advisability of reducing train services in some directions. "Tho Government was faccd with thisposition: AVehadto get coal from somewhere," said the Minister. "AVe are engaged in tho biggest war tho world has ever known, and we liavo to fulfil our engagements for tho dispatch of transports and tho shipment, of tho Imperial wool, meat, and cheese. A\ r o are bound —and you as a section of tho peoplo are bound—to fulfil our engagements to tho Old Country. AVo cannot movo ships without coal. So wo had to

look to tho future. Just before the end of the -strike in Australia we approached tho Admiralty, and asked if they liad any eoal cargoes to sparo. Ihey replied, after some time, that they had certain cargoes to spare, and would direct them to come to New Zealand." The Minister explained that two of tho colliers had como to New Zealand and threo moro were expected. That was tho whole cxtont of the arrangement. It had been stated that the Government had brought in the coal, to defeat the miners on the West Coast, but thero was 110 truth in that statement, .liie Government still rcecled every ounce of eoal that tho West Coast miners could produce. ' 'We will tako every ounce of it," said Mr Herries, "and we don't want to harass the West Coast minors in any way whatever. We want to have our own miners producing onough for tho uso of the Dominion. If they .don't produce enough we must get coal from outside. If you can tell mo how wo can got ships to get coal from Newcastle or even from the West Coast, I shall be only too glad." A voice: Take the Union Company's ships. The Minister: We have most of tho ships of the Union Company. Tho voice: And you are paying them well The Minister: You have to pay well in these days. We have to pay an enormous sum in demurrage on this collier, thus adding to the cost of the coal. What are we going to do with it ? t i A voice: Run it hack. Tho Minis-tea" What is the use of running it back when we want it for our own ships? A' voice: They won't take it. The Minister: They have to take it. I It is . Admiralty coal, and good steam-1 ing coal. We are not going to store it as has been suggested, to use in case of a strike. It won't store. It will only perish. The only thiiig to do is to use it at once. Now I want to put this point before you as men. I have heen perfectly open with you. I have been endeavouring to show you that there was a real shortage of coal, and that we had to got coil, anyhow. Just before Christmas tho Railway Department should) Lavo had a large tonnage of coal from the West Coast. The coal was waiting for us. But the Department had to let the coal ho used for the' transports and the ships carrying Imperial supplies, ard went short itself. "We have got to unload this coal within a certain time," said tho Minister, "and we want your assistance, hecause wo do not wish to go cjutside you if we can possibly help it. We want you to recognise that this coal is absolutely necessary."

A voice: What is the coal to be used for ? The Minister: It is going into transports and into ships carrying Imperial produce. The coal was not being used for general purposes. A portion of one cargo ]iad been taken by t/lie Railways Department. The Government Lad no intention of interfering in any ordinary industrial dispute. Ho understood' that tho watersido workers were approaching the employeis with regard to' wages. The Government stood neutral there. But tho unloading of tliis Admiralty i collier was a different matter. Tho Government was doing the best it could for the Dominion, and it should not be thwarted by misunderstanding. "Wo havo looked ahead and ordered this coal," said tho Minuter, "and we must have it unloaded." A voice: Well,' take off your coat. Mr. Herries: I would be quite glad to. (Laughter.) And you would probably call me a blackleg. A voice: Didn't you step in in 1913 and back up tho company? Mr. Herries: We saw that law and ordor was disturbed, and we stopped in to preserve it. (No, you didn't.) We would do so again. This is tho duty of tile Government. It is said that this coal was fofused by Australia. That

is not so. Tho ships were at sea when wo ordered it. Wo know tliat because wo tried to get iu touch with them, and could not, because they were not all fitted with wireless. A voice: They called at Australia. Mr. Horries: Yes. For orders. If they arc not fitted with wireless they havo to get orders from somewhere. At tho conclusion of his speech the Minister had to encounter a Btorm of questions, some of thorn relating to such matters as tho Huntly mining disaster, the_1918 strike, the operation of tho Military Service Act, and tho War Regulations. Tho Minister, stated that tho colliers had - been at sea and not iu Australian waters when the Government had arranged to tako tho coal from the Admiralty. Tho Government had entered into an honourable compact with tho Miners' Federation not to allow coal to leave New Zealand except for Admiralty purposes during the Australian strike, and tho agreement had been observed rigidly. He would inquire regarding a suggestion that a certain newspaper had fomented trouble on tho waterfront. Somo questioners suggested tliat the New Zealand mines could produce' all the coal that was required if they were worked to the full extent. A voice: Let these men vou'vo put in gaol out and we'll talk about working the coal. What proposition do you put before us? asked a questioner. The Minister: That you turn to and work her at 1 o'clock." On any conditions ?—On the conditions of your agreement. A voice: Do you want us to bo called senbs all over Australia? Mr. Harries: Has Australia told you anything ? —Yes. something that vou don't know. There were many other questioners, and then Mr. Bennett announced that the suggestion had been mad'e that tho matter should be referred to tho Disputes Committee. He had put that beiore the representatives of the shipowners and the union official.;, and they appeared to bo agreeable to it. Were the men agreeable? There were signs of approval and dissent. Some members wished to submit motions, bat Mr. Bennott refused to take them. The Minister had given them liis explanation to remove misunderstanding and had answered their questions fairly Tho proceedings-were brought to a close, aftk tho retirement of the Minister, by an announcement that a meeting of the Waterside Workers' Union would be held at 7.30 on the following morning to consider the matter. Mr. F Curtice, president of the union, made the announcement, and said! that the present meeting was not in a position to deal with the question decisively. Mr. J-. G. Bruce, secretary of the union, said that tho whole of the available information would bo placed hefore the union meeting. Members were serving no good purpose by getting excited. The question had to be settled promptly, and a meeting of the union was essential.