STATEMENT BY OWNERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19809, 2 December 1927, Page 11

STATEMENT BY OWNERS.

INTENTIONS OF WORKERS. NO COMPLIANCE WITH TERMS ATTITUDE CLEARLY APPARENT. VESSELS MUST BE TIED UP. By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright. (Received Decembe. 2, 12.35 a.m.) A. and N.z! MELBOURNE. Dec. 1. A combined conference of overseas shipping representatives and Commonwealth steamship owners to-day issued the following statement: " As it has been clearly apparent that the Wharf Labourers' Union and its members will not comply with all the terms an :1 conditions of all the awards and agreenents and decisions of the Board of Befe.ence, work on all steamers n all ports is to cease to-night." This statement, however, does not refer to the Tasmanian services, which will still be maintained. It means that from five o'clock to-night all steamers, both overseas and inter-State, vfith the exception of the Commonwealth and the Patrick Lines and the Tasmanian services will be tied up in every port in Australia. It is estimated that between 70 and 80 inber-State steamers will be thrown idle, and about 200 C seamen paid off and re-, turned to then home ports. Shipping companies trading Within their State are outside the dispute. A few wrftersMe workers' offered at tO j day Y call foe labour at Melbourne,' but not one offered for work on the conditions laid down by the owners. When the steamer Delkera arrived from Sydney at five o'clock, however, gangs of men accepted the owners' terms, and commenced unloading, but it is understood they have no intention of continuing. The crews of the collier Hebburn and the steamer Mildura have been given notice. OUTLOOK IN SYDNEY. NO LACK OF WORKERS. PROMISE OF OVERTIME. (Received December 1. 11.15 p.m.) A. and N.Z. SYDNEY, Dec. 1. There was- no lack of wharf labourers offering at the early call for labour in Sydney this morning, and they verbally expressed their willingness to work overtime. On the strength of these promises they were allowed to start work. They have a final opportunity of honouring their overtime promise to-night. Should they refuse, tho struggle will begin in earnest to-morrow morning, when the shipowners will definitely enforce the agreements. The failure of the men to observe the agreements will mean that chips will be laid up. At a meeting to-day the Sydney waterside workers endorsed all the actions of the Federal Waterside Workers' Management Committee. After the meeting Mr. W. H. Seale, secretary of the Sydney branch of the federation, said there certainly would bo no loading or discharging of cargo after five o'clock to-night. In anticipation of developments the o*ners of the steamer Karoola decided to Jay up the vessel, which normally is engaged in the passenger trade to Australia. Notice was also given to three of the Adelaide Steamship Company's vessels, the Ulooloo, Arkaba and Aldinga, to pay off their crews to-morrow.

The Howard Smith inter-State passenger liner Canberra will pay off upon arrival at Sydney to day The passenger bookings for Melbourne have been cancelled. The cargo steamer Saros, owned by the same company, will be paid off tomorrow.

Officials at the Trades Hall express the opinion that the strike will be short-lived, and that it will probably result in the leaders of the Waterside Workers icdeintion capitulating, as the odds against the men are overwhelming. The men fear that if they continue to refuse to work overtime, a call will bo made for free labour, and with the prosent amount of unemployment the owners will experience no difficulty in securing volunteers to do the work. While members of the Seamen's Union would refuse to man inter-State vessels loaded by volunteers, it is doubtful whether tho crews oi oversea ships vvouid agree to support the strikers, as the local wharf labourers refused to support them during the British seamen s strike two years ago. POSITION AT ADELAIDE. SEVENTEEN SHIPS IDLE. A. and N.Z. ADELAIDE, Dec. 1. The waterfront at Adelaide is idle following the refusal of the waterside workers to give an undertaking to observe •wards and agreements. Seventeen vessels are idle and as a result seven carrying firms have given their employees several days' notice of thQ termination of their employment.