FEW VESSELS GIVEN LABOUR PREFERENCE IN PORT OF AUCKLAND

Wanganui Chronicle, 29 June 1948, Page 4

FEW VESSELS GIVEN LABOUR PREFERENCE IN PORT OF AUCKLAND

(P.A.) Auckland, June 28. Thousands of tons oi iqwiira and outward cargo have already stopped moving through the Port ot Auckland as a result of the Waterfront Industry Commission to declare the idie wneat ship MountparK a .anour preference vessel, although only one ship, apart from the MountparK, is completely idle at its berth. A number of overseas and coastal vesse.s granted labour priorities for essential cargoes are working with very limited gangs. The one idle vessel is the coastal trader Margaret, with East Coast cargo. Probab.v the largest cargo ever brought in one hull from Australia is awaiting discharge from tne British steamer Harpagon. More than 10,090 tons of general cargo from Newcastle, Port Kembla and Sydney, is carried by the ship, which has been given n labour priority of two gangs to land mail and 16,000 cases of Australian oranges. When this work is finished the gangs will remain on the ship as the terms of employment provide that work wilt continue until the vessel is completed. When the oranges are unloaded more than 9000 tons of general cargo will remain, a formidable task for the relatively small number of .workers to handle. A similar situation exists on the Federal Line steamer Cornwall, which is waiting at Queen’s Wharf to land several thousand tons of cargo from G.asgow, Liverpool and Swansea. She has been given one gang to land mail, and these men will remair to put ashore a small daily quota of general cargo. Delays here will also affect delivery ot cargo consigned in the steamer to Wellington, Lyttelton, Dunedin and Nbw Plymouth. The Union Steam Ship Company’s freighter Waitemata. which will berth tomorrow, has been granted one gang to discharge , a consignment of 1130 cases of tombtoes and 1070 cases of oranges from Rarotonga. The steamer also has cargo for Wellington, Lyttelton, and Dunedin. Two overseas ships are still held at anchor in the stream. They are the Canadian-Australasian Line freighter Wairuna, with about 2800 tons of Pacific Coast and Island cargo for Auckland, and the British steamer City of Chelmsford, which is waiting to load about 2000 tons of wool, pelU and other New Zealand produce for New York, Boston and Montreal. It is unlikely that either ship will bs worked until the dispute is settled. Two West Coast colliers will work on labour priority tomorrow. The Kaimiro, with gas coal, will be given additional men, and two gangs will be supplied to the Karepo,

The Waterfront Cemmisslon is maintaining a tight hold in granting labour priorities and has made it clear that it will engage no more men than are necessary, even for most essential cargoes. The union president, Mr. H. Barnes, stated that the union would maintain its refusal to lift the Mountpark’s hatches. He did tot expect there would be any development until next week’s meetings In Wellington of the national executive and tha national council. At this morning's labour call 127 unionists were engaged for replacements on various ships and for handling priority cargoes, 81 were dismissed on three-day-penalty for refusing to lift the Mountpark’s hatches and 279 wer not given employment These 279 men will not receive 7s 4d daily attendance money, which has been suspended in Auckland by the Commission. Sailings during the week are expected to increase the total unemployed to 600 or 700 by the week-end.