MARITIME STRIKERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18888, 10 December 1924, Page 10

MARITIME STRIKERS.

AUSTRALIAN DISPUTE.

LABOUR- BUREAU FIGHT.

DETERMINATION OF UNIONS.

By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright.

(Kcce : "ed 11.35 p.m.)

A. and N.Z.

SYDNEY. Dec. 9.

The sea transport group of unions is preparing to fight to a finish in a final effort to abolish the Shipping Labour Bureau.

The Waterside Workers' Federation is prepared for the deregistration of the union as a result of the present tactics in ignoring Sir. Justice Powers' direction to return to work. The officers of the union state that the Arbitration Court is hampering, rather than helping, them.

The Melbourne Waterside Workers' Federation has decided to defy the Court and to continue the strike until the Shipping Labour Bureau is abolished. The executive is indifferent to the threats of the deregistration of the union as it was actually considering applying for deregistration.

A mass meeting of strikers at Fremantle adopted a resolution to the effect that the Seamen's Union' should immediately communicate with Mr. .A. McCallum, Minister for Labour, in order to bring about a settlement of the dispute.

The steamer Benalla, which had been delayed at Fremantle for a iortnight, sailed to-day. The apprentices wero compelled to cast off the mooring lines.

FREMANTLE INCIDENT.

MINISTER AND UNIONIST.

ALLEGATION OF ASSAULT.

PERTH. Dec. 3.

It is obvious that Labour ranks in Western Australia are divided over the seamen's strike at Fremantle, and very likely the seamen will soon find themselves playing a lone hand.

At a meeting of the State executive of the Labour Party there appears to have been a'lively scene, because T. Houghton, secretary "of the Seamen's Union, stated afterwards that the honorary Minister, Mr. Cunningham, had assaulted him.

The incident was discussed by the Seamen's Union later, and the following motion was carried: "We members of the Seamen's Union in Fremantle emphatically protest against the action of the Minister for Sewerage, Mr. Cunningham, in taking up the cudgels on behalf of the shipowners, and the Minister for Works in the present trouble, and in using personal violence against our secretary."

The States Disputes Committee is now taking charge :of affairs. It is confidently believed that the outcome will be that the, lumpers will demand that ships be worked . irrespective of the wishes of the State steamship seamen. This action will minimise the trouble considerably.