Federation Of Labour Offers To Help Find A Solution

Wanganui Chronicle, 26 December 1950, Page 5

Federation Of Labour Offers To Help Find A Solution

Railway Strike Has Begun

Government's Attitude Unchanged

WELLINGTON, Last Night (P.A.). —The Federation of Labour has offered its services to try to find a solution of the national railway strike, which began at midnight on Saturday. The executive of the Federa-

tion will be present at a joint meeting of the national executives of the three general division railwaymens’ organisations which will open tomorrow morning. Meanwhile there has been no other move for a settlement. Trains and buses were run into their sheds on Saturday night, and since then travellers have had to depend on taxis and other alternative forms of transports The Prime Minister (Mr. Holland) said tonight that representatives of the railway organisations, the Federation of Labour, and the Acting-Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Nash) had met the Government on Saturday morning. There had been no change in the Government's attitude towards the dispute and. the position had not altered over the week-end. However, the Federation had offered its services to try and find a solution and to try and get the men back to work. The Government’s desire was to get the trains running again,

and it was willing at all times to listen to any representations. No emergency action was initiated by the Government during the weekend to deal with the paralysis of transport, and no hint had been given of measures that might be adopted if the strike continues. Mr. Holland declined to discuss the possibility tonight and merely remarked: “The railwaymen have carried out their threat and are now on strike. There have been no other development.” M. Holland left the City on Saturday to spend the holiday week-end at Paraparaumu. He will returh to Wellington on Tuesday afternoon. In accordance with the announced policy of members of the A.S.R.S. and R.T.A., trains and buses which began their journeys before midnight were driven to their destinations and placed subsequently in the sheds. No journeys were begun after midnight on Saturday, with the exception that, by agreement of the two organisations, the Lyttelton-Christchurch train carrying passengers from the steamer express was run as usual on Sunday morning.