COLLIER DELAYED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16443, 20 January 1917, Page 8

COLLIER DELAYED.

MINISTER APPEALS TO MEN.

POSITION FULLY EXPLAINED. UNION TO CONSIDER MATTER. ' [bt telegraph.—press association.] WELLINGTON. Friday. A serious delay in unloading an Admiralty collier was the subject of an address by the Acting-Minister for Labour, the Hoir. W. H. Herries, on the Queen's Wharf, to a gathering of between 200 and 300 men this afternoon. The Minister said he had heard so many rumours going about in regard to the shipment of coal that he thought it his duty to put the facts plainly before them. " First of all I want to tell you straight," he said, "that this is a collier chartered by the Admiralty. The Government of New Zealand is being asked why the collier is being delayed." Mr. Herries explained that just before the end of the strike in Australia the Government approached the Admiralty and asked if it had any coal cargoes to spare, 'the Admiralty replied, alter some time, that it had certain cargoes to spare, and would direct them to come to New Zealand. They had had two, and .there were three others to come. A rumour had gone about that the Government bad brougnt in coal to defeat the miners on the West Coast. It wanted every ounce of coal the West Coast miners could produce. "Wo will take every ounce of it, and we don't want to harass the' West Coast miners in any way whatever, "Mr. Herries added. "If they do not produce enough, we must get coal from outside. If you can tell me how we can get ships to get coal lrora Newcastle, or even from the West Coast, I shall be only too glad." A Voice : The Union Company. j The Minister: We have most of the i ships of the Union Company. I The Minister said the Government was not going to store the coal, as has been suggested, to use in case of a strike. There was a real shortage of coal. Just before Christmas the Railway Department should have had a large tonnage of coal from the West Coast. The Department had to give a large quantity towards supplying transports and other ships going Home, and to go short itself. Referring again to the collier, MrHerries said the Government was bound to unload the coal within a certain time, and he hoped to have the watersiders' assistance- Tho coal was being used for Imperial work, except that portion of one cargo was used on the railways. Mr. W. Bennett (manager of the Watersiders' Employment Bureau), who prosided, said the Minister would answer questions. There was & storm of them, and lively dialogues lasted some time. Some questioners suggested that the Now Zealand mines could produce all the coal required if they were worked to the full cot tent.

Another persistent interrogation was: " What proposition do you put before us?" The Minister: " That you turn to and work her at one o'clock."

"On any conditions!" The Minister : "On the conditions of your agreement." A Voice: "Do you want us to be abused all over Australia!"

Mr. Herries : " Has Australia told you anything!" '"Yes; something that yon don't know."

Mr. Bennett announced that a suggestion had been made that the matter should be referred to the Disputes Committee. He had pnt that before representatives of the shipowners and the union officials, and they appeared to be agreeable to it. Were the men agreeable? There were signs of approval and dissent. Finally Mr. Curtice, president of the union, announced that a meeting would be held to-morrow morning to consider the matter-