WORK RESUMED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25796, 17 March 1945, Page 6

WORK RESUMED

AUCKLAND GAS EMPLOYEES RESTRICTED SUPPLY TO-DAY (P.A.) AUCKLAND, Mar. 16. The retort house employees at the Auckland gasworks, who declared a strike yesterday, resumed work this afternoon. It is hoped by the management that it will be possible to provide a modified gas service to enable people to prepare their breakfasts to-morrow. A restricted service will operate for the rest of the week-end, and the position will be reviewed on Sunday night. It is not likely that there will be a gas supply for industries on Monday.

The decision to resume work was reached after meetings of the men and negotiations with the National Service Department regarding the direction of two retort house workers to other industries. The men will not now be required to comply with the directions before their appeals are dealt with. Concerned with the effect of the gas stoppage on people with young families a group of women beyond the age for direction to work to-day offered their services to the Gas Company, but were informed that advantage could not be taken of their generous offer.

In some city restaurants to-day customers were unable to obtain tea or coffee, only milk and soft drinks being available. Mr F. E. May, chairman of the Auckland Provincial Restaurant Proprietors’ Association, said the fact that the men had stopped work without warning had resulted in the loss of certain foods prepared for cooking today. Most of the hotels operated under restricted menus, and a few resorted to open fires. The public hospitals were not greatly inconvenienced, as most of the cooking is done by steam from the hospital boilers.