IMPORTANT TALKS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25202, 15 May 1945, Page 6

IMPORTANT TALKS

HANDLING OF SHIPPING ADMIRAL AND MINISTERS (Special Australian Correspondent) (Reed. ».30 p.ai.) SYDNEY, May 14 An important conference will be held in Canberra tomorrow between Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser, Com-mander-in-Chief of the British Pacific Fleet, Mr J. B. Chifiey, act-ing-Prime Minister, and Mr N. J. Makin, Minister of the Navy. Apart from any other aspects, it is inevitable that the conference will raise matters which led to Admiral Fraser's statement last week that British shipping at present was being sent forward without receiving proper docking in Sydney. Australian observers feel that Admiral Fraser would never have made his statement had there not been an urgent need for drawing the nation's attention to the state of affairs endangering the British Empire's part in the Pacific drive. More than 1000 of tho 3000 Sydney dock workers who have been on strike since April 16 over a union dispute attended a meeting today, when a resolution was passed calling upon the Federal Government to intervene in the strike. It is hoped the men will return to work this week. The Sydney Sun shipping reporter today says that the underlying responsibility for the grave congestion existing on the Sydney waterfront rests with the wharf labourers. He alleges that the quantity of cargo handled by Sydney wharf workers has dropped from an average of one ton per man per hour to bctweefi one-third and one-half a ton Sydney today has 6500 waterside workers as against only 3500 earlier in the war. However, in spite of this greatly increased number, a labour shortage of up to 2000 men a day lias been reported on the waterfront.