N.S.W. STRIKES CONTINUE

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23316, 27 September 1945, Page 5

N.S.W. STRIKES CONTINUE

16,000 Men Idle Ban On Loading Dutch Ships By Telegraph—N.Z. Frees Assa.—CoDyrlghf (Rec. 9.20 p.m.) SYDNEY. Sept. 26. Sixteen thousand men are still idle in New South Wales through strikes in various industries. Although the executive of the Sydney branch of the Waterside Workers' Union directed the men to return to work on overseas ships to-day, about 2000 did not resume. The dispute over the Dutch ships taking supplies to Java took a serious turn to-day. Union leaders imposed a ban on the loading and- repair of all ships carrying munitions or war materials likely to be used in the suppression of the Indonesian Republican Government. Only hospital ships, provided they are not carrying war materials. a»e exemuted from the ban. Ten mines are idle to-day involving 2800 men and the loss of about 9000 tons of coal. Serious blackouts affecting about half of the Sydney subtrrban areas and including many industrial districts again occurred this morning. There is a likelihood of the Bunnerong powerhouse dispute being extended. The strikers are considering a proposal to stop coal from entering the plant. Tile dispute which began at the Port Kembla plant of Australian Iron and Steel over the dismissal of an employee is still unsettled. The employees of commercial printing houses in Sydney and Newcastle and men at the Riverstone meatworks are still idle. * Appealing to miners to increase output. the miners' general-secretarv (Mr G. W. Granti said that coal stocks in New South Wales are now the lowest in the history of the coal commission. Disturbing figures of depleted stocks .were quoted by Mr Grant, who said that the New South Wales railways, for instance, had onlv 10 da vs’ sunplv on hand.