Government Intervenes

Northern Advocate, 8 January 1936, Page 5

Government Intervenes

Secret Ballot By Seamen Ordered l United Press Associatlon.-By Electric Telegraph. — Copyright .3 (Received 1.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. rpHE New South Wales Government A has intervened in the strike, as far as inter-State ships are concerned. The Minister of Labour, Mr Dunningham, has ordered a secret ballot to be taken by the crews of coastal boats. The captains of the vessels concerned were instructed to act as d e puty-returning officers in the taking of a secret ballot on the question whether the men were in favour of the strike or not. The ballot will be decided before the vessels reach port. It is understood that at present 10 vessels are at sea. It is estimated that the seamen have lost £16,000 a week in wages and overtime since the strike commenced, and that even if the unionists returned to work, probably not more than 40 per cent would regain employment A Melbourne message says the Attorney-General, Mr Menzies, announced that in order that applicants for seamen’s licenses should not have to run the gauntlet of union pickets at the licensing office, he had decided to issue licenses in Sydney by post. Plain speaking is reported to have characterised today’s conference between representatives of the All Australia Council of Trades Unions and the Miners’ Federation. Mr G. Mullins, M.L.C., leader of the wharf labourers, is understood to have indicated that his union was powerless to assist the men in any way.

He remarked that there were 1500 men on the waterfront waiting to take the jobs, which would ‘be available if the wharf labourers struck. Licensing also operated on the waterfront in every other Australian port. In reply to a question whether the railwaymen would be prepared to refuse to carry coal supplied by volunteers, it is reported that the railwaymen’s representative, Mr C. Nelson, said his union declined to resort to direct action. Mr 'A. E. Monks, president of the Trades Union Council, is understood to have refused to commit that organisation in any way, but to have agreed to convene a conference of Federal unionists. Volunteers Attacked. Attacks were made at Newcastle on two 'members of the crew of the steamer Kboyong, which left that port on December 21 with a volunteer crew. Robert McGill, aged 34, cook, was attacked by a number of men, and had to be sent to hospital.

Another member of the crew was in a taxi which was stoned by a mob. The windows were broken and the passenger was injured. Preference Clause Cancelled. The New South Wales Industrial Commission today found that the State branch of the Seamen’s Union had deliberately decided to support the men of the union in their action in laying up the colliers and rendering them idle. It ordered the immediate cancellation of the clause in the state award for collieries giving preference to union members. At the request of certain associations of shipowners, the hearing of a summons calling on the union to show cause why it should not be reregistered was deferred. However, the commission pointed out that it was not to/be thought that in doing so the commission regarded the union’s act as otherwise than of a most serious character. ,