CONTAINER DISPUTE

Wanganui Chronicle, 23 February 1949, Page 4

CONTAINER DISPUTE

ENDED FOR TIME BEING Both Parties Agree To Accept A Tribunal

Wanganui fruit and vegetable retailers have agreed to resume normal buying of produce in city marts this morning, pending arbitration of the container dispute by a competent tribunal. This decision was reached at a meeting yesterday afternoon of the Wanganui Retail Fruiterers and Greengrocers’ Association alter receipt of a telegram from the New Zealand Federation of the association in Auckland.

The federation advised that it had accepted an offer from the Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) of arbitration by a competent tribunal. The federation president, Mr. L. K. J. Jonkers, stated that he would ask for a tribunal of three members, consisting ol a Supreme Court Judge or King's Counsel as president, and an assessor for each party. His instructions were for interim trading on basis of the status quo. Today, throughout New Zealand, both sides, growers and retailers, have agreed to a tribunal being set up ccvcerning the container dispute,” said the president of the Wanganui branch of the Retail Fruiterers and Greengrocers' Association, Mr. Ngan Kee,. last night. "This tribunal will be assisted by an assessor from each party and both sides have agreed to abide by the decision of the tribunal. Till the tribunal has reached its decision, retailers will resume buying from the marts as before.”

The president of the Wanganui Fruit and Vegetable Commercial Growers’ Association, Mr E. B. Chisholm, commented last night that he was glad the dispute was over. “Under the circumstances,” he added, "the least said the better. ’

“The instructions are that we carry on trading as before,” said the secretary of the Wanganui branch of the Retail Fruiterers and Greengrocers Association, Mr. D. A. Almond, last night. “This means that we will pay the container charge in the meantime and in this matter we are being guided by our national council.” One retailer in Wanganui iiad 450 worth of empty cases in his back yard and could not dispose of them, Mr. Almond added. "For my own part, I have more than 500 empty cases, and I can’t get rid of them, either,” ne said.

When the previous agreement was discussed, growers agreed to cleatcontainers from yards of members ol the Retailers’ Association and use them again. Retailers agreed to pay the container charge, which at the time amounted to ninepence, and to receive sixpence for the empty cases, but the growers had failed to clear the yards As a result, said Mr. Almond, cases were accumulating and were not only becoming a nuisance, but were also creating a fire hazard. "We don’t know what to do with them,” he added.

During the period of the dispute, retailers were permitted by their association to purchase supplies for hospitals, stores, hotels and shipping. This had been agreed on by retailers, irrespective of the container charge, said Mr. Almond. "Tomorrow, things will be back to normal," he added. "We will pay the container charge till the dispute is settled, but both sides will have to abide by the decision of the tribunal." Commenting on the decision of the grocers to pay the container charge earlier this week, Mr. Almond said that at a meeting last Thursday representatives of the grocery trade were present. They were aware of a decision made at Napier by a conference of the Master Grocers’ Federation, This was to the effect that the federation would support the fruit and vegetable retailers in their attitude to container charges.

Mr. Ngan Kee also commented last night that as president of the association he had at no time been invited to attend a meeting or conference between growers and retailers to discuss the container charges.