AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XX, Issue 2063, 6 January 1925, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

. THE SHIPPING STRIKE. THIRTY EIGHT VESSELS LAID UP. (Press Association. Copyright.) (Received 9.35 a.m.) Sydney, this day. As a result ttf the seamen's strike, there are now 38. vessels, the aggregate tonnage of which is 1313,713, laid up. The sea transport group has decided to call upon unions to co-operate actively against the Newcastle and Hunter River Steamship Co. POSITION BECOMING SERIOUS. 700 PASSENGERS HELD UP. (Received 10.34 a.m.) Melbourne, this day. Unless there is decisive action on the part of the Federal Ministry or intervention by the Arbitration Court, to appear certain that within a few days the inter-State shipping services will he completely suspended. The steamers Karoola and Niraua aio laid up owing to a shortage of crews. Seven hundred passengers from the Karoola and Niraua are held up, and probably this number will be considerably added to when the Loongana. arrives, as it is expected she also will be laid idle.

There appears to he a deitorminatiou on both sides to fight to a finish. Referring to the statement of Mr Pratten that if Hie people of any State were seriously inconvenienced by the dislocation of the Inter-State shipping services, the Federal Ministry might seriously consider tho question of exercising the right of applying tho exemption clauses of the Navigation Act to permit overesas vessels carrying passengers beweeu the interstate ports, Mi' Bruce,, the Federal Premier, says that no action of this kind is contemplated by the Federal Ministry. RETURNED MEN TAKE ACTION. ESTABLISH OWN HEADQUARTERS (Received 10.60 a.m.) Sydney, this day. At the conclusion of a meeting of tho Returned Soldiers and Sailors' Waterside Workers' Union, a statement was issued by the responsible officials, who said that tho Union had definitely decided to establish its own picking up headquarters. It has an assurance from the shipping companies that it will bo called upon to supply much of the labour on Wednesday, mid it has requested Cabinet to make available certain premises which ate. now' vacant. The Cabinet has also been asked to lake drastic action to prevent tho Federal Government interfering with tho Preference Act. All the returned members of the federation havo been invited to join the union, when they will bo offered equal privileges with its own members.