IDLE SHIPS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23603, 12 March 1940, Page 9

IDLE SHIPS

LIVELY UNION MEETING TWO MINISTERS PRESENT i ' DIVERSION OF STEAMER The decision by the Government to —lake over the working of all cargo vessels at Auckland dominated_ the waterfront situation yesterday, and was chief point of interest at a special meeting of the, Auckland branch of the Waterside Workers' Union, which since last Wednesday has adhered to a decision not to work overtime until claims for a new award covering waterfront conditions in New Zealand are met. A call was made at the waterfront labour bureau at 8 a.m. for labour on ■hips. As the majority of the union members are lender penalty for earlier ' refusals to man ships only 65 discs were exposed. Two men accepted work on a small coastal vessel which had not been affected by the dispute, but the remainder declined and were put under penalty. Adjournment of Meeting The Minister of Labour, the Hon. P. C. Webb, and the Minister of Supply, , the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, arrived at the union office at 11.20 a.m. and addressed the special meeting, at which there was practically a full attendance. The meeting was a lively one and continued until 1.15 p.m., when it was adjourned until eight o'clock this morning to enable three union delegates who have conferred with the Wellington branch to report _on their mission to obtain unified action for a new award. With the exception of small coastal vessels handling perishable cargoes the only ship working on the waterfront yes'terdav was the Japanese motor-ship Tokyo Maru, which cleared port at 5 p.m. for Japan. Gangs of unionists working on this vessel during the day are practically the only members who h&ve not incurred penalties—a group of less than 50 out of a total union strength of about 1300.

' Fourteen Vessels Requiring Labour ■i. Fourteen overseas, intercolonial anu large coastal vessels of an aggregate gross tonnage of nearly 80,000 will require labour to-day. Many have not been worked since Friday, when the first dismissals through failure to work overtime took place, and a recent arrival was an intercolonial passenger liner. A decision concerning the despatch of this ship will be reached by the company concerned after to-day s union meeting. Three of the vessels are ships waiting to load produce for England A fourth arrived in the Hauraki Gulf bite yesterday afternoon, but was diverted to another port by a message by visual signalling equipment at Hnti'ri lighthouse. . A meeting of the Auckland Shipping and Stevedores' Association was held yesterday afternoon, but no statement was issued at . its conclusion.

WATERSIDERS' PROTEST STATEMENT BY MR. DARLOW LETTER TO HARBOUR BOARD / Exception to a statement issued by the chairman of the Auckland Harbour Board, Mr. W. B. Darlow, on Friday alleging that the union's complaint of a delay in the Arbitration Court hearing was only a pretext and .that the real object of an organised minority of watersiders was to torpedo" export of produce was taken 111 a letter to the Harbour Board bv the union's press committee yesterday "As tliis' 'is an extremely serious statement for a man holding pulmc office to make' in the press we urgently request that the chairman of the board will either substantiate the statement or publicly withdraw it." stated the letter.

STOCKS OF PRODUCE / ■ , NO ACCUMULATION YET meat killing at capacity I Accumulation of stocks of meat and dairy produce in cold storage because of tl le waterfront trouble has not yet Drought about a congestion of space or i caused embarrassment to freezing companies in Auckland. It was stated yesterday that it would take about two < weeks' idleness on the wharves before killings, which were now proceeding to full capacity, would, have to be seriously reduced. i So far the delay had not been long enough to. cause much accumulation, said an official of one of the companies, ! out as the companies were among them Wling about/-25,000 freight carcases a day and '20.000 boxes of butter and j9P crates of cheese were coming in daily it could he seen that the accumulation of stocks Would become considerable if tho wacerfront dispute was not Bo °n settled. A freight carcase repre®®nts a 601b, weight of meat of any description.