ARMY VIEWPOINT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27569, 11 December 1950, Page 6

ARMY VIEWPOINT

Objection Regarded As Groundless PA WELLINGTON, Dec. 10. After investigating the circumstances surrounding the report of the objection by watersiders unloading mails from the Ormonde on Friday morning, Lieutenant-colonel J. W. Moodie, the artillery commander of K Force said today that the watersiders had no grounds for objection. The matter had been investigated with the officer concerned. He said: “It is army law that soldiers are issued with arms at the point of embarkation during certain loading operations.” The arms had been locked away by the officer to ensure that no further trouble would occur. “Soldiers have always been armed under the same circumstances, so I do not know what the objection was based on. Besides, the Sten guns carried by the soldiers were not loaded because no ammunition was available.”

When informed that Mr E. J. Napier, the watersiders’ walking delegate, had denied that the men stopped work, the officer concerned in the incident said: “Absolute rot. I was told that if nothing was done about it soon the men would not return to work.” Commenting on the statement that Mr Napier knew nothing about the incident, he said: “During the height of the discussion one of the watersiders mentioned that he would have to inform Mr Napier. As far as I knew he took steps to do so.” When a reporter arrived at the ship an another assignment on Friday, no work was going on. A bundle of mail bags was on the wharf. He paid no particular attention to the lacki of activity until he saw what appeared to be a fairly loud discussion Between the officer and one watersider. The soldiers were sent away to lock up their Sten guns. When confronted by the reporter, the officer gave his story on the deck of the ship where other army officers were gathered.