RESIDENTS MOVE TO BREAK TOKOMARU BAY DEADLOCK

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22728, 28 August 1948, Page 4

RESIDENTS MOVE TO BREAK TOKOMARU BAY DEADLOCK

COAST WATERFRONT DISPUTE

(S.R.) TOKOMARU BAY, August 27, Determined to secure some action which would break the deadlock which since the middle of July has gripped the Tokomaru Bay vvaterfront and resulted in a total cessation of work there, a strong' deputation of East Coast business men and settlers met the Tokomaru Bay Harbour Board in Te Puia on Thursday and initiated a discussion which led to communciations with the Waterfront Industry Commission's headquarters in Wellington.

The upshot of these communications was an undertaking that representatives of the commission, with a delegation representing the shipping interests and the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union, would leave Wellington on Monday to hear argument on the stand taken by the workers at the Coast port. Mr. Ellis Rouse, secretary of the Ruatoria branch of Federated Farmers and leader of the deputation, said that they were representative of the many people who were vitally concerned with the continued disruption of industry and commerce on ihe Coast. He said that they wanted to go to the fountain head in order that responsibility for a settlement might be shouldered by the appropriate authority. The chairman, Mr' G. V. H. Rickard, in welcoming the deputation, said that it was undoubtedly one of the most important meetings in the history of the Const. Nine Watersiders 1 Claims The stoppage of work bv the nine waterside workers at Tokomaru oa, was now in its seventh week and the loss to the Tokomaru Bay Harbour Board, farmers, businessmen, and ttie public had reached staggering proportions, continued Mr. Rickard. He said that unless cool stores at the works were cleared before the start of a new killing season the consequences would be calamitous. !

Mr. F. E. Porter, works manager, explained some of the causes oi the dispute. Fie said that when overseas vesels were loaded at Tokomaru Bay the waterside workers were paid extra rates of 3d per hour when emptoyeu on a lighter moored at the wharf and 5d per hour when unloading the lighter alongside a vessel in the bay. These extra rates, continued the speaker, were paid to the men compensate them for uncomfortable working conditions. Owing to the war, centralisation of overseas shipping resulted in no overseas vessels being loaded in the Tokomaru roaostead. The lighters were replaced by feeder vessels, which unloaded at centralised ports such a s Napier and when working on these feeder vessel the 5d rate was not paid, although the extra 3d per hour was received bv the watersiders working on such craft. Commission Insists on Re-Start The New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union had done everything possible to get the Tokomaru Bay branch working, continued Mr. Porter, but the men would not return to work until the commission heard their case. The Waterfront Commission, the speaker concluded, considered the men’s demands unreasonable and wanted to see the men loading a feeder vessel in order to observe actual working conditions, and would not visit Tokomaru to discuss the dispute until the men returned to work. Mr. D. W. W. Williams gave an account of his recent visit to Wellington when he interviewed members of the Government. He felt that if the Waterfront Commission was approached by a representative body it would undoubtedly be willing to hear the men’s case, despite its previous ruling that the men must first return to work. “There is some sense in the men’s demands,” said Mr. O. T. Williams, for there appears to be an anomaly in the award. Napier Recognises Payments He understood that at Napier, under similar conditions where feeder vessels moored alongside overseas ships at the wharf an extra 5d per hour was paid. Mr. Williams said that he was in complete agreement with the. previous speaker's suggestion and hoped that tbe waterfront bottleneck would be removed at an early date. Messrs. G. E. Cotterill. C.> K. Williams, J. H. Taplin, W. W. Tennant, H. F. Smythe, J. Oates,'W. F. Jackson, and Captain P. McCallujn also took part in the discussion. A motion was proposed by Mr. F. R. Jefferd:

"That Mr. Bockett, general manager of the Waterfront Industry Commission, be informed that this representative meeting requests that the Waterfront Commission visit Tokomaru Bay immediately to bring about a settlement oi a dispute which is causing extensive hardship and disruption.” On being seconded by Mr. Rouse, the motion was carried unanimously. Hearing Fixed for Tuesday Within a few minutes, following a ’phone call to Wellington, Mr. Bockett’s reply was received. He said that representatives of the Waterfront Industry Commission, Waterside Workers’ Union, and shipping interests would be leaving Wellington on Monday next and would be in Tokomaru Bay on the following day to hear the case . Those present expressed great satisfaction at this development and were extremely hopeful that the proposed visit would bring about an eariy ana amicable settlement of the dispute.