STRIKE ENDED

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 111, 13 May 1933, Page 10

STRIKE ENDED

SHIPPING HOLD-UP UNIONS ACCEPT TERMS THE DETAILS WITHHELD WELLINGTON, May 12. The seamen’s strike has ended, and the working of vesseis that have been held up since the middle of last week is being resumed. The position in regard to the shipping trouble was still uncertain this morning, when the reply was being awaited of the Auckland Seamen’s Union to the shipowners’ proposals as the result of the conference which concluded on Wednesday. The Welling ton Union was the first to approve oi the proposals, and the seamen at LyLelton and. Dunedin, at meetings held there, subsequently gave their approval. The terms of the agree ment reached were withheld by both parties until Auckland Union had. accepted, but at 2 p.m. to-day advice was received that the Auckland seamen had also agreed to the proposals. Tlje terms of the agreement reached were disclosed by neither party. Working of the boats was resumed this afternoon, and the signing on of crews is expected to commence immediately. The following statement has been made to the Press by Mr. T. O. Bishop, who represented the shipowners at the recent conference: “The terms of set tlement submitted by tho shipowners to the final conference on Wednesday afternoon were approved by the meet ing of the union in Wellington yesterday, and advice has been received that they have now been approved by meetings in Dunedin and Lyttelton, but the result of the meeting held in Auckland this morning has not yet come to hand. Details of the terms of settlement are not available until the whole matter is concluded. The final official statement is now awaiting the receipt of advice from Auckland.” SHIPS DELAYED FINDING THE OLD CREWS CLAUSE IN AGREEMENT. [ Per Press Association. ] WELLINGTON, May 12. News that the unions at Lyttelton and Dunedin had accepted the new agreement, was received by midday today, but it was not until 2 p.m. that news was received that the men at Auckland had accepted the shipowners’ terms and that the hold-up had definite ended. As soon as this news had been given out to the different shipping companies, a definite start was made to man most of tho vessels laid up here. It was then that the significance of a clause in the new agreement, whereby shipowners agreed to sign on on each ship tho crew which had been paid off during the dispute, became apparent. It was found that in a number of cases at Wellington and also at other ports, that some of the members of the crews of the various ships had left the port at which they had been paid. Under the agreement the owners could not replace these men, even temporarily by others without the permission of the union officials, and it is understood that in each case the officials refused to givo that permission. Thus a number of ships which would have left Wellington and other ports to-day, will not be able to sail before to-morrow at the earliest. The Union Company paid off the Tamahine’s volunteer crew yesterday and signed on her old union crew. The vessel’s departure for Picton had been postponed until 6.30 p.m. yesterday to enable this to be done. After her union crew had been signed on, it is understood that they refused to man the vessel until she had been thoroughly fumigated and their quarters cleaned out, the reason being that they could not live in the quarters recently used by “scab” labour until all traces of them had been obliterated by a thorough fumigation. The Union Company had no option but to do this and the Tamahine’s departure was then postponed until 1 p.m. to-morrow. Pending definite official news that the hold-up had ended, the shipping companies this morning nominated waterside labour for work during the afternoon. Early in the afternoon, however, a_nuinber of watersiders derided that the ships could wait another day and left the wharf. This left some of the companies short of labour, but they managed to handle most of the cargo offering. The Monowai will remain here until Monday, when she will resume her running in tho Nelson ferry service iu conjunction with the Matangi. which is due hero to-morrow morning from Nelson in place of the Arahura, which was paid off and was laid up at Nelson today. Six ships which had been laid up at Wellington, the Holmglen, Kapiti, Holmdale, Kapuni, Port Whaugarei, and Inaha, were successful in obtaining their crews and left port to-day. AGREEMENT ON TERMS BY LARGE MAJORITY WELLINGTON, May 12. The president of the Federated Seamen’s Union (Mr. F. Walsh) stated this afternoon that the strike was at an end. “The terms of the settlement for a new agreement were submitted to the members of the Seamen’s Union at all ports,” said Mr. Walsh, “and by a large majority the members have accepted the agreement arrived at by tho representatives of the seamen and shipowners. The strike is therefore off.” AT DUNEDIN THE TERMS ACCEPTED. [ Per Press Association. J DUNEDIN, May 12. The Dunedin branch of the Seamen’s Union to-day decided to accept the terms agreed on in Wellington by the executive of the Seamen’s Federation.

Now that the dispute is settled it is expected that the coastal vessels will take up normal running during the next few days. GOVERNOR DELIGHTED SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES. [ Per Press Association. ] AUCKLAND, May 12. Satisfaction with the settlement of the shipping and mining disputes was expressed by the Governor-General during an address at tho annual meeting of Flying Angel Missions to Seamen. “A twofold event has occurred in tho last 48 hours for which every serious-thinking man and woman in the Dominion must be devoutly thankful,” said His Excellency. “Two industrial disputes, ono of thorn in tho shipping world, which threatened serious unrest and disquiet if perpetuated through the winter, have been amicably settled. It is with real joy, feeling I had the people of the Dominion behind me, that I despatched teipgrams to-day to the Minister of Mines and Minister of Marine, expressing profound delight that the two sides to these disputes had seen fit to come to a settlement, remembering that if ever it were true in the past it was true to-day, that when one member of the community suffers, other members suffer.” His Excellency said he was confident that it was consideration for the public interest that had been mainly instrumental in bringing about the 'agreements.