THE SUGAR SHORTAGE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 121, 16 February 1920, Page 7

THE SUGAR SHORTAGE

•WATERSIDERS RESENT PRIME MINISTER'S CHARGE. The officials of tlio Auckland Waterside Workers' Union strongly resent Mr. Massev's statement that the sugar shortage is partly due to the loss of a whole cargo of raw sugar last September, when the watersiders refused to unload the steamer Fiona at the Chelsea refinery, with the result that she iras taken on to Sydney. The nresident of the union, 'Mr. Nicholas Saunders, told a "Star" reporter that ho wanted to combat Mr. Jlassey's attempt to put responsibility on to the watersiders' shoulders. It was true that the Fiona was not unloaded, for the reason that she carried a non-union crew, shipped in Sydney during tho maritime strike. In engaging such a crew the Colonial Sugar Company ought to have known that" trouble would ensue. The company was asked to bring another crew across, but preferred to take the vessel awav unloaded. "Now, as for the careo," said Mr. Saunders, "it is incorrect to say that tho whole of it— abont 6000. tons—was lost to New Zealand. So far as we know, the Fiona never unloads more than 4000 tons here, and takes \he balance of 2000 tons over to Svdnev. When the trouble occurred we were given to understand that only 3K)O tons would be unloaded here, and that the other 3000 tons would be taken . to Svdnev. where there wts a shortage. Now. 3000 tons of raw sugar, with deductions for refining, would oriiy mean a few rounds of white su.far per head of the population—not nearly enough to account for the present shortage. Besides. the incident occurred nearly five months ago. 5 "We believe that the shortage is due to either a lack of shipping from Fiji, or a shortage of raw sugar there, possibly both. It is certain that tho Sugar Company has been importing very much less sugar by the Union Company's steamers than it did beforo the war, when boats like the Aparima and the Wnitemata were used in the trade. The population of New Zealand has increased since then, and if less raw sugar is cominir in it is not surprising that there is a shortage. I mention this to show that there is no need to blame tho waterside workers unjustly for the present state of affairs."