THE WATERSIDE CRISIS

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XVIII, Issue 6159, 3 March 1921, Page 3

THE WATERSIDE CRISIS

BECOMING MORE ACUTE IDLENESS INCREASING. . . NO OVERSEAS VESSELS, (Special to the Daily Telegraph.) AUCKLAND, this day. The the waterfront dispute is 'reflected at this port in two veryi serious aspects — increasing numbers of idle watersiders, and an entire absence of either arrivals or departures of vessels other than units of the coastal fleet. These sequels are assuming girave- proportion*, the out-of-work brigade of watersiders barring reached four figures, and the period in which there has been a complete paralysis of shipping mentioned having 'extended from Monday morning right up- to the present: time. Another serious aspect is that which applies to Itho gas service there having been no benefiting change i' l I'tospect to the company's coal supplies, hence the en- j forced reduced pressure-supply coiv

tiuues. activities are confined to vessel's a,t the city wharves and the Rona a',t Chelsea wharf. Current operations aboard at least itwo of the deep-sea. vessels that' come under this category are expdeted to come /to a finish by the end of next week. The labour engaged aboard three overseas vessels only runs into seven gangs, the total number .pf watersiders working the active vessels in port being less than 400. There are now twenj.y-oight vessels in the stream and at the wharves, including one in dock. Information gleaned shows that quite a large number of men, including watersiders and seamen, are seeking work. The demand at the OovermrientJ Labour (Employment Bureau in. Shorthand-street during the, past few days has been particularly heavy and a long way in excess of the supply. An officer ol the i bureau spates that there' is more 'labour offering than the bureau .can | deal with. WELLINGTON, this day.

In addition to 'deciding to pay die men off and lay the ships up in tho absence of a satisfactory reply in the meantime, the shipowners have also decided to severely restrict the class of cargo carried by the ferry boaits.