LATE NEWS NO PROGRESS

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 December 1946, Page 7

LATE NEWS NO PROGRESS

WATERFRONT DISPUTE ACTION BY CABINET THOUGHT POSSIBLE ■; SI ATEMENTBY JUDGE (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Dec. 5. An admission by the workers.’ representatives that they were bound to follow the instructions of the national executive of the N.ew Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union, resulted in ■ the early failure, of the attempt yesterday by the. Waterfront In- / dustry Commission to consider the situation that has arisen over the decision lon the workers’ claim for a guaranteed daily wage. , The commission will issue a statement this afternoon or to-morrow, and in the meantime there isfspecqlation as to possible action by tlie Cabinet. -

The commission is due tol , meet again on December 15, but;:;unless there is a radical change in the views of the employers’ representatives and those of -the workers,' there seems little- likelihood that the meeting will get further than-yester-day’s. The meeting of the union’s national executive, which began yesterday, is continuing to-day. Cabinet action is thought"possible, but what form it can take-is not clear, especially while the commission is still in existence. In addition, it is believed that the Federation of Labour may become involved, but the president, Mr. A. W. Croskery, when asked this morning if this was so, stated only that there was no news.

The chairman of the commission, Mr. Justice Ongley, said to-day that the commission had simply got nowhere in its consideration of the situation, neither, side having given ground. There was no decision to cancel the sitting arranged for December 1 and the,commission adjourned till that date. The secretary- of the Waterside Employers’ Association, Captain M. T. Holm, said to-day that there was no comment to make on yesterday’s statement by the union and that until the association had considered the matter it was unlikely that there would be a statement from the employers. FLOUR TO BE IMPORTED FROM AUSTRALIA (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Dec. 5. The Wheat and Flour Controller, Mr. R. McPherson, goes to Australia to-day to fiiscuss with the Australian Government and the Wheat’’Board matters related to the supply ofvzheat for New Zealand. : ’/ ~ “There are still 2,000,000 bushels of wheat due for shipment ..from Australia during 1946,” said the Min-, ister of Supply, Mr. Sullivan, making, this announcement, “but due to transport problems ft has not been. sible to bring this to ports for shipment. There is, however, -surplus flour at Australian flour ports' and to obviate the possibility of a shortage in New Zealand, we have agreed, as a temporary measure, to take some flour instead of wheat.” Two ships, which left recently to load wheat, he said, would now load flour.

PERSIAN TROOPS ATTACK IN AZERBAIJAN (Rec. 3p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 4. The Tabriz radio stated that Persian Government troops entered Azerbaijan and attacked Azerbaijan soldiers, according to a proclamation issued by the central committee of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party. The proclamation said: “We will defend our country to the last drop of blood. Students, workers, professors, youth organisations—we call on you to defend our freedom and the republic.”