SHIPPING STRIKE

Hokitika Guardian, 7 December 1927, Page 3

SHIPPING STRIKE

(Australian A N.Z. Cable Association.)

PERTH FOOD SHORTAGE (Received this dny at 11.0 a.m.) PERTH, Dec. Tiie President of the Albany Chamber of Commerce telegraphed the Associated Steamship Owners at Melbourne asking, in view of the shortage of provisions in Albany, that exemption lie granted wharf labourers to work the cargo of the steamer Kooyong, which arrived at Albany with a cargo ol provisions. This is the first cargo to arrive for five weeks. LABOUR LEADERS DIFFER. MELBOURNE, Dec. 7. Because of yesterday’s events, relations between the .Management Committee of the' Watersiders’ Federation and Australian and New Zealand Council Trade Union and Melbourne Trade Hall Council have become strained, and it is probable that negotiations belwe; n those bodies which had been conducted for several days will be continued. Through the advent of the Emergency Committee of the Australian and New Zealand Council, the Arbitration Court was induced to intervene in the trouble and it is stated unofficially that the Watersiders’ Federation had refused to agree to the terms of settlement proposed by the Council, which had urged the Federation to declare off the overtime strike,' although the Management Committee carried a resolution advising the branches that they must abide by the awards, it is contended that there are other matters in dispute that were not breaches of the award but which the shipowners asserted were contravening the provisions of the award. Officials of the Federation asserted the demands of the shipowners would not be agreed to by the Federation which had led to the hitch in the

conference. BUTTER SHIPMENTS AFFECTED. SYDNEY, Dee. 7. As a result of the sjtrike butter export has lieen brought to a standstill. "With the spring production in full swing and still increasing, New South Wales has a surplus over the local requirements of ten thousand fo twelve thousand boxes weekly. Fading an early settlement, the hopes of traders shipping the same butter to

London rest on the Commonwealth line, but it is only able to take a proportion of the exportable surplus Efforts arc being made to dispose of much ns possible locally and with this object in view the prices has been further reduced by a penny pie r pound. The export o£ stone fruits to New Zealand anil North Queensland is cut off and supplies are thrown on the Sydney market at reduced prices. Five more steamers arrived yesterday and will l>e unable to discharge cargo.

The owners of the lhumata decided to cnlll for labour and will attempt to unload the vessel. MELBOURNE, Dee. 7. The Commnirn departed lor London without loading Melbourne cargo. There are now sixteen oversea and twenty-nine inter-State steamers at Melbourne.