SHIPPING STRIKE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 110, 12 May 1933, Page 6

SHIPPING STRIKE

MOW PRACTICALLY OVER XEW AGREEMENT FRAMED Si PER CENT. WAGE REDUCTION (Per Press Association 1 WELLINGTON, May IL The shipping dispute is practically settled. A conference framed a new agreement providing for a two and a-hait per cent, cut instead of tie proposed five per cent. It also provided for a continuation of the old conditions. The agreement was ratified by the Wellington Union to-day and other centres are expected to follow next. Further Details No official statement was made available to-day, but it is reliably stated that a complete agreement was arrived at on Wednesday by the committee of interested parties which has been endeavouring to arrive at an agreement acceptable to the shipowners and the union, and that copies of this new proposed agreement were sent out that night to the rour unions. The Wellington Union met to-day and accepted the new terms. The men at Auckland. Lyttelton and Dunedin will meet to-morrow. Crews will sign on the vessels to-morrow on the conditions which were in force when they were signed off. and these will remain in force until the end of this month. The 21 per cent, cut will then come into operation on June 1. Member* of teh Cooks and Stewards’ Union will also sign on on the old terms. It is understood that the agreement reached bv the committee also included the’ paying off of all non-union trews engaged since the hold-up started. There are nearly twenty ships paid off in Wellington which will be recommissioning, while there are about thirtv more in other ports. Ships in Wellington will recommission to morrow, with the exception of the Monowai. which leaves next Thursday for svdnev. after missing a one round trip. ‘The crew of the Nelson ferry «teamer. Matangi, left Wellington tonight by the Maori. The Matangi has been laid up in Nelson for annual overhaul and now resumes running. The Arahura will lay up at Nelson. The Mahia Sails. After a conference between the capain and crew of the Mahia it was antounced that the men were prepared to . return to the ship. The magistrate thereupon agreed to re-hear the case ind withdraw the penalties imposed. The Mahia sailed later without a boatswain. A cable message from Sydney staled that the Maunganui. which had been taken across the Tasman by free labour, left Sydney for Wellington this (Thursday), afternoon. Agnong The passengers was Sir James Parr and members of the Australian Universities’ Rugby team. All was quiet on the wharf. Ten additional stewards were engaged at Sydney owing to the big passenger list. It was understood that they were Unionists and that the whole of the volunteer crew had been re-engaged for the return trip to New Zealand. TEES CREW RETURNS VESSEL LEAVES DUNEDIN DUNEDIN, May Ik Th. Tees crew returned from Lyttelton (home port) last evening and signed on this morning. The vessel sailed at noon. There i» no other change in the Koid-up situation. AUSTRALIAN UNIONS ATTITUDE OF WATERSIDERS NOT LIKELY TO JOIN IN. MELBOURNE, May 11. Officials of the Waterside Workers’ Federation regard as remote the possibility of the Australian Waterside Workers becoming involved in the New Zealand shipping dispute. No official intimation of the trouble has yet been received by the Union. It was contended that the New Zealand unionists had a better chance of Muecess by confining the dispute to the smallest area possible.