AUCKLAND DRIVERS

Evening Star, Issue 25070, 11 January 1944, Page 4

AUCKLAND DRIVERS

UNION REREGISTERED AS PENALTY THE SUNDAY BUS OISPUTE (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Jan. 10. A decision to deregister the Auckland Drivers' Union was made by the Cabinet at a meeting this afternoon, following the action of the Auckland •bus drivers in not operating the normal .services yesterday. The necessary order was signed by the Minister of Labour, Mr Webb, to-night. The effect of the cancellation is automatically to cancel the relevant Arbitration Court award in respect of the locality within a 25 iniles' radius of Auckland Chief Post Office. < " In accordance with my warning as to what would happen if the drivers carried out their threat and broke the law, the Government lias no alternative but to deregister the union," said the Minister in an interview to-night. " This deprives the union of all its powers of compulsion and preference to unionists. Every possible effort was made to bring about a conciliation, but without effect." AUCKLAND, January 10. " We are prepared to open negotiations with the proprietors, but we do not consider it a matter for the Government," said Mr L.- G. Matthews, secretary of the Auckland Drivers' Union, this afternoon before the Cabiet's .decision was known. The dispute should bo confined to the two original parties, said Mr Matthews. The proprietors had been successful in manoeuvring the Minister into a position where he had accepted what was in actual fact the responsibility of the omnibus proprietors The president of the Auckland Omnibus. Proprietors' Association, Mr N. B. Spencer, said that a meeting of the proprietors would be held this week to