CESSATION OF ACTIVITY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 3 December 1927, Page 7

CESSATION OF ACTIVITY

AT ALL PORTS . ' . SYDNEY, 2nd December. All inter-State ports complete cessation of waterfront activity, and cargo is piling up on the wharves, which are already congested.- • ..' Railways are'reaping the benefit of a larga amount of passenger and freight traffic intended for sea transit, but which has now been diverted to the railways. . Mr Seale, secretary of the watersiders, claims that it is a lockout. Ah far as they are concerned there *is no strike. They are willing to keep the wheels cf industry moving up to 5 o'clock, but the shipowners arc determined .to, inflict a great hardship and a loss to the community by enforcing their demr.hrl.s, and must carry the blame for 'the trouble which has arisen. ' " ! - • The waterside workers to-day are plenteously. reaping the fruit of their decision not. to work overtime, as overseas and inte-: State vessels in all ports are practically all tied up and inter-State ■ trade and overseas export is paralysed. • It is estimated that 135 vessels and 35,0.00 men. are idled by the opening moves in what threatens to be a mosvs serious conflict. In Sydney alone 33 sbins with a tonnage of 170,000 are idled. The'Trades Hall estimates that as tho trouble extends, the number of unemployed in the waterside and kindred occupations in New South Wales' will exceed 21,000, not including 25,000 coal miners,' should the trouble, as it threatens to do, lead to the closing of the coal mines. Of the vessels idle in Sydney 15 are wool ships, whose quick loading is a matter of importance to meet the overseas wool sales' dates. The stoppage is also a heavy blow to inter-State shipowners,, who were pre paring to handle heavy Christmas trade. Much interest centres in the steps the Federal and State Governments propose to adopt to meet the situation. Regarding rumours that the shipowners might employ non-union labour, the owners describe these rumours as preImatui'e'. The strike affects the whole marine transport group, including seamen, watersiders, stewards i . cooks, shipwrights, ship painters, dockers, trolly and draymen, and coal lumpers. Representatives of every section of this group are being summoned to a conference at Melbourne wit I) the object of establishing control and direction of industrial activity in the dispute. SYDNEY, 2nd December. In the Assembly Mr Bavin announced that he had wired.'Mr Bruce that the Government, would co-operate with the Federal Government, in any measure adopted in connection with thj>, waterside strike.