AN ABRUPT END

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 91, 18 April 1945, Page 6

AN ABRUPT END

TIMBER WORKERS' DISPUTE

There was an abrupt end to the hearing of the Westland timber workers' dispute in the Arbitration Court, when the employers' representative (Mr. A. J. Seed) informed the Court that he had' no authority to act for the employers. The workers, who were represented by Mr. F. L. Turley, secretary of the union, stated their case yesterday afternoon, and the employers' case was set down for hearing this morning". On Mr. Seed's announcement that he did not represent the employers, the Court intimated that it could not go on with the case.

In a statement to "The Post" subsequently, Mr. Turley expressed his concern at this sudden and unexpected development, particularly after the workers had stated their full case. . "This is not the sort of thing we expected alter incurring considerable expense in preparing our case and bringing delegates to Wellington," said Mr. Turley. "Mr. Seed's explanation was that he had been misled, and that he had no authority-in the matter." - .

Mr. Turley added that he would consult his executive before taking further action, but he feared that this incident might lead to. a general strike among the timber workers on the Coast.

In explaining the position today, Mr. Seed said that he had assumed that he had authority to represent the employers on the West Coast, but owing to having received a telephone ring from one of the assessors in the case at Greymouth last night, he had to make the Court aware that there was a doubt as to whether he had the requisite authority to act in Wellington as -the employers' assessors had not been consulted by Mr. Turley, the workers' representative, nor had' the Conciliation Commissioner consulted the employers' assessors at Greymouth in regard to taking the case in Wellington. He had agreed in the first place to the hearing on the assumption that either the workers' representative or the Conciliation Commissioner had consulted the Greymouth assessors, but they had not been consulted regarding it being held in Wellington. Therefore he could not conscientiously proceed, he said.