Wharfies Direct Ng

Rehabilitation

SYDNEY wharfies who have only recently lifted their ban on Dutch ships in Australian ports —which had operated for eighteen months and had been designed to help “Indonesian comrades in their struggle for freedom against the Dutch”—are again attempting to direct Australia’s internal and for eign policy.

On June 9, they stopped loading corrugated iron on the “Montoro” and “Malaita” as a protest against the fact that repairs to houses in Redfern —a Sydney industrial sub urb—had been over-long delayed.

The men refused to handle the iron after the Rev. G. van Eerde, who is in charge of the South Syd ney Methodist Mission, had appealed to them to help their fellow-workers in Redfern. Mr. van Eerde said that he had been informed that the iron was to be used for the construc tion of sheds in New Guinea.

The “Montoro” was scheduled to load 200 tons of roofing-iron, ord ered by the Department of External Territories for essential repairs in war-damaged Papua-New Guinea.

“Malaita” was also scheduled to load a small consignment for repairs to houses in Rabaui.

It was stated, after the ban was imposed, that 'the Waterside Workers’ Federation would consider banning the export of all building materials which are scarce in Aus tralia.

Territorians who are still living under canvas or in old Army sheds or who are struggling to recon struct plantation buildings, will no doubt be sustained by the fact that the wharfies have decided, in their wisdom, that the needs of Redfern are greater than theirs. *