POOR WANGANELLA!

Evening Star, Issue 26032, 21 February 1947, Page 6

POOR WANGANELLA!

WORK HALTED YESTERDAY VESSEL DECLARED " BLACK " N.Z. TRADESMEN ESPOUSE SEAMEN'S CAUSE (P.A.) WELLINGTON, February 20. The Wanganella was declared “black” to-day by the officials of seven trade unions, and the men doing repair work on the vessel in the floating dock left their jobs just after 2 o’clock. Discussions for a settlement of the dispute are probable to-morrow. A stop-work meeting was addressed by union officials, and the men agreed to continue to refuse work on the vessel until the Australian seamen who struck on Tuesday for special danger rates were given satisfaction. Mr E. V. Elliott, federal secretary of the Australian Seamen’s Union, said in the afternoon that he was still waiting to hear whether Captain McDonald, salvage officer on the ship, would be prepared to meet union representatives. Until he did the New Zealand workmen had declared that they would continue to consider the ship “ black.”

Mr Elliott said that on behalf of the seamen of Australia he wanted to express appreciation of the fine trade unipn spirit of the workers on the Wanganella in their ready support of his men.

Captain McDonald, asked to-night what his attitude was, said that he and the other salvage official on the ship, Mr D. E. Eadie, would see Mr Elliott and other union officials in the morning. , ■. /, The workers involved in the dispute are the engineers, boilermakers, shipwrights, plumbers, harbour board employees, painters, and waterside carpenters