Mr Chifley To Intervene

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23375, 5 December 1945, Page 5

Mr Chifley To Intervene

New South Wales Strikes To Meet Union Delegation N.Z.P.A. —Special Australian Correspondent (Received 7.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, December 4. THE Prime Minister, Mr J. B. Chifley, has agreed to receive to-morrow afternoon a union delegation which will ask him to call a conference to settle the steel, coal and shipping strikes. Mr Chifley agreed to intervene after the New South Wales miners and inter-Stfitp seamen had struck in sympathy with the men on strike at the Broken Hill Proprietary steel works. The union deputation will ask Mr Chifley to arrange a conference between the Broken Hill Proprietary and the Ironworkers’ Association to settle the steel strike. Meanwhile the Australian-wide shipping strike and the New South Wales coal and steel strikes will continue, pending the outcome of the proposed settlement conference. A decision to approach the Prime Minister was made at a conference between the Australian Council of Trades Unions’ Emergency Committee and the New South Wales Labour Council Committee appointed to handle the strikes at Port Kembla and Newcastle. The decision that the unions should approach Mr Chifley was unanimous.

Mr P. J. Clarey, president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, will lead the deputation. The president of the Miners’ Federation, Mr H. Wells, will represent the miners, and the State secretary of the Ironworkers’ Association, Mr McPhillips, will represent the steel workers. The Seamen's Union will not be directly represented.

The Newcastle branch of the Ironworkers’ Association last night recommended that the union should seek reregistration in the State Arbitration Court. The union was deregistered before the strikes at Port Kembla and Newcastle began. When these disputes arose the Broken Hill Proprietary refused to negotiate with the union because it was deregistered.

Shortages Likely Even if a settlement is reached this week, it is not likely that the seamen, miners or steelworkers will resume work before Monday, and some form of gas and electricity rationing is inevitable in Sydney. Drastic cuts in all New South Wales railways will be announced to-day. Tram and ferry services will also be curtailed. If the country trains cease, Sydney will be without meat. Milk supplies will be cut to about one quarter, and there will be shortages of vegetables. Immediate repercussion in other States followed the decision of the miners and seamen to strike. In Adelaide all industry will close down tonight. Gas rationing introduced in Melbourne is more severe than that imposed two months ago, and the chief secretary, Mr Slater, said that without a large measure of public cooperation. the complete cessation of gas supplies may occur. Severe cuts in the railway services ahd a somewhat less drastic reduction of tramway services are being worked out in South Australia. It is estimated that the closing of Industry in Adelaide will mean unemployment for SC 000 men. Forty vessels are already tied up or will be tied up very soon by the seamen's decision not to man ships carrying New South Wales coal or products of the Broken Hill Proprietary and Australian Iron and Steel, Ltd. Many other vessels will be held up in ports in all States as stocks of bunker coal become exhausted. Tire Ironworkers’ Union has ordered a 24-hour stoppage to-day, but 500 Sydney metropolitan members of the union are expected to defy the direction. Industry Dislocated With all mines idle to-day, New South Wales industry is more gravely dislocated than for many years. Already the steel dispute has thrown 36,000 persons out of work and, unless there is an early settlement, 500,000 others will be affected. To-day's stoppage on the coalfields is so complete ’ that even the mines whose employees are not members of the Miners’ Union are on strike. Drastic cuts in all New South Wales train services were announced to-day by the Railway Commissioner, Mr T. Hartigan. Cancelled immediately are all special sporting and week-end tourist, trains, while country trains and goods traffic will be greatly reduced and Sydney’s electric train services during off-peak periods will be onlv at half-hourly intervals. The State Government is planning to operate the emergency transport service in the metropolis if power for the trams fails. The immediate introduction of gas and electricity rationing in New South Wales on a drastic scale, beginning from to-morrow, was recommended to the Minister for Labour and Industry, Mr J. J. Cahill, by the supply authorities. Mr Cahill said that if there pas to be rationing, and it appears inevitable, ample notice should be given to all employees. It is learned that proposals for the rationing of eas and electricity would mean a cut of more than 50 per cent on the existing consumption. The opinion at the Trades Hall to-day was divided on the prospects of Mr Chifley reaching a solution of the steel, mining and shipping strikes at his Canberra conference with the Union leaders to-morrow. Official circles in Canberra emphasised that Mr Chifley has not changed his policy of non-inter-vention and has niade no promises.