STILL QUIET AT THE PORT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17831, 27 April 1926, Page 9

STILL QUIET AT THE PORT.

CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD TO-MORROW. NO RESPONSE TO CALL FOR PREFERENCE SHIP. To-day again there was a total lack of activity on the waterfront at Lyttelton, but a conference between workers and employers will be held to-morrow. There was a large gathering of watersiders in the vicinity of Coronation Hall again this morning ready to respond to a call for labour for vessels now in port, with the exception of the preference ship, the Coolana. Fresh calls were made for this vessel, but there was no response. The reason given for the daily large musters is that the men have been instructed by the executive of the "Waterside Workers’ Union to roll ,up for any calls. Naturally, the main topics of conversation in Lyttelton arc the hold-up and the possibility of settlement at the conference to-morrow. It can be gathered from conversations that the men are quite decided on the question of the Saturday half-holiday, but whether the executive will be prepared to arbitrate on the question is a matter that will be cleared up at the conference to-morrow. The New Zealand Shipping Company’s liner Tekoa (Kinsey and Co., agents) was a fresh arrival to-day. She has cargo from Liverpool and Glasgow comprising mostly machinery for the Public Works Department, and also including a new crane for the Lyttelton Harbour Board.