CABINET MEETS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 59, 9 March 1940, Page 14

CABINET MEETS

WATERFRONT DISPUTE

NO DECISION YET

STATEMENT BY MR.

.WEBB

Cabinet met today to give consideration to the dispute on the Auckland waterfront. When an adjournment was taken early this afternoon, tKe Deputy Prime Minister (the Hon. P. Fraser) said there was no statement for publication. Cabinet would meet again later to investigate the position further.

In.a statement last night, the Minister of; Labour (the Hon. P. C. Webb) said that the Government was very disappointed at the attitude adopted by the Auckland branch of the Waterside Workers' Union. "The least we might have expected for the privileges the waterside workers enjoy was that they would comply with their agreement along constitutional lines till that agreement had been superseded by a fresh one," said Mr. Webb. "The Auckland branch' was well aware that the Government was doing its utmost to .negotiate a new system, in co-opera-tion with the executive of the Waterside^ Workers' Federation and the ship owners of New Zealand, with a view to evolving a method that would be of immense advantage to the waterside vrprkers and to the : country. However, before giving us a chance to complete this -work' they saw fit to attempt to frustrate these efforts to bring about much-needed reforms.

*'The branph is definitely acting unconstitutionally with its own federation 'arid likewise with the New Zealand. Federation of Labour, as both bodies'should be the mouthpiece of the different" branches comprising their organisations. . The Government hopes thate common sense will soon prevail, and that" the Auckland watersiders will remain-true to the real principles of unionism and not revert to 'rafferty ruie'/ttiethdds."

Replying: to a question as to what the next step was likely to be, Mr. Webb said: "That will be a matter for Cabinet to decide. One thing is certain,'and that is that there can only be oi»e Government in New.Zealand at a time. The Labour Government is determined to govern and protect the interests and rights of the people of this country."