“MODS” HOLD-UP

Evening Star, Issue 25620, 22 October 1945, Page 2

“MODS” HOLD-UP

STATEMENT BY NETHERLANDS CONSUL WATERSIDERS UNWITTINGLY AIDING JAPAN (P.A.) WELLINGTON, October 2i. It was strange that the waterside workers, who deserved every credit for their stand against'shipping scrap iron to Japan before the war, should now advocate a policy which assisted . the Japanese, declared the Netherlands Consul (Mr M. F. Vigeveno) when commenting, to-day upon remarks made by Mr T. Hill, .national secretary of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union, concerning the despatch of relief to the East Indies by the uUeinous, which vessel has been held up in Wellington since Monday last by the refusal of the waterside workers to load her. The present policy of the waterside workers could be regarded only as one that favoured a single Indonesian faction that had been armed by the Japanese and the continuation by the latter of war in the political sphere after their military defeat

Mr Vigeveno said lie gladly accepted Mr Hill’s assurance that the action of his union was motivated by the principles of the Atlantic Charter, “the right of nations to determine their own form of, government.” Queen Wilhelmina herself had promsied the people of the Indies that immediately after the war a round table conference' of all groups would be called to devise means to introduce autonomy for them within the framework of the Netherlands Commonwealth. At such a conference the Indonesians would have the opportunity of expressing—long before the election by Mr Hill—their opinions as to their treatment by the Dutch, hut he pointed out that the present situation in the Indies had the effect of delaying progressive political developments. “ To-day only one group—and its integrity is, to say the least, doubtful — has i been able to make itself heard,” said Mr Vigeveno. “ The right of all others to decide for themselves is denied.”