Rabaul Wharf Strike

Wider Issues Behind Rabaul Wharf Strike

By a Staff Writer

The near-miss palace revolution in Rabaul’s stevedoring in dustry in February has left little behind it that will benefit any one; and a lot of public speculation founded on reports that leaked out of the screen of silence that surrounded most of the events that led up to the incident.

E4E wharf trouble was not, as the administration press release said M, March p. 105), a dispute over ►es. An increase of wages all nd was merely, in the end, a way getting the Tolai wharf labourers to *et their own ambitions about rung a company of their own, and back to work under the old con ons. he trouble arose out of an at pt—half-backed and badly organ 1, as it turned out—by two Euro ns and the Tolai villages who now ply wharf labour to the Burns Ip stevedoring organisation, to n a stevedoring company of their i. he germ of the idea began with a ladidir man called Tomamia who acted as a Burns Philp stevedore who alleged that he had been mised European wages but was getting them. [There is doubt he was promised anything of the ; but he now is getting £4O per ith plus overtime.] Enter Mr Warnock dmamia approached Mr. Tom nock, who was then taking the :e of Burns Philp’s chief stevedore le the latter was on leave, and ;d for his assistance in forming a edoring company of Tolai natives, /arnock sought the advice of other opeans and told Tamamia that if thing were to be done, all eight iges which customarily supplied )ur to BP stevedoring company it join together in the new enter e—-that Tomamia’s village of ladidir was not enough, ome time later a truck-load of 60 ai representatives headmen, lers, etc. from eight different is arrived in Rabaul, and con ed Mr. Warnock. It was at this :e that they decided to form a il stevedoring company, cutting estimated profits of £40,000 per um 10 ways.

rA [An unofficial estimate by other stevedoring interests puts the value of the industry in the port of Rabaul

nearer £70,000 than £40,000 p.a.] Each of the eight villages involved was to have a one-tenth share of pro fits; Mr. Warnock was to have one tenth; and the other tenth was to go to “another European”.

A long-time Territorian told a PIM reporter in March that he was Euro pean No. 2. He said, moreover, that it was a scheme he had thought a lot about in past years, but he had always “been too lazy” to do anything about it.

Up to this stage it looked like any other commercial proposition—the chance for eight native communities to have an annual income between them of at least £30,000 and the two European “brains” behind it to get something like £4,000 per annum apiece. (Over)

It was a plan, one might suppose, that would commend itself to the Administration, which is falling over itself to launch native private enterprise; and it had, surprisingly, the sympathy of many quite conservative elements in Rabaul who saw nothing obnoxious in the idea of launching such a stevedoring company.

But from this point on the idea became less a plain commercial proposition, and more like a Middle Eastern revolutionary plot, with wharf labourers surreptitiously working in their leisure time, making slings and nets and other gear, biding their time until they could present the established stevedore company with a fait accompli, and take over the port operations themselves. It probably was at this stage that everyone

concerned placed themselves offside, One reason for this secrecy was, no doubt, that any industry that brings in a profit of £70,000 per an num—or even £4o,ooo—has more to running it than the mere desire to have £40,000. It needs organisation, office staff, credit facilities, premises and equipment.

It was in providing the most rudi mentary items of equipment that the organisers brought about premature discovery of the plan by the party most directly concerned—Burns Philp & Co.

Mr, Monty Stobo, BP manager at Rabaul, had gone to Toboi for a swim; and, afterwards, he wandered through the nearby bush. By accident, he came upon a group of natives busily making cargo slings. His

curiosity was aroused, and he < tioned the natives. They said they making the slings for “Masta To Much intrigued, Mr. Stobo se quiries afoot; and, in consequt he had an interview with Mr. ’ nock, and when Warnock si quently resigned from the BP se the whole of the Tolai steved< force resigned with him, en m They urged him to proceed, at < with the formation of the new i pany; and, with him, they act worked one overseas ship.

But that was the end of then terprise. By February 7, the ships coming in to Rabaul were on Burns Philp agency. The po] Rabaul ground to a halt.

The Department of Trade anc dustry then got into the act by s ing a representative to Rabaul Port Moresby, and he came c heavily on the side of the establi enterprise.

The Tolais talked back, and talked war; and when Mr. War realised that he was now involve something he couldn’t control talked peace, they left him for c A wage increase tossed into ring by Burns Philp at the cr moment decided the issue; The T took the cash in hand and waivee rest, and went back to working the ships. By February 11 it wa over.

Mr. Warnock Leaves Soon after, Mr. Warnock anc family left Rabaul on “exte leave” in Australia, their fares by Burns Philp. They are not pected back—although one Ra super-optimist believes that wher Australian Labour Party become; Australian Government Mr. War will go back as the local Ministei Labour!

The seven-days wonder left Ra with confused and divided opu Some see Warnock as a tragic innocent victim. Others, just as s< one who bit off more than he c chew.

While some, with good reasons rive no comfort from a vision ol port of Rabaul being dominatec Tolai entrepreneurs (the new i for native private enterprise), o see some advantages in the idea.

No one has gained anything j the incident—Rabaul people, wlu directly will have to foot the bit the pay-increases, least of all. perhaps the most significant thing; emerges is that the Tolais, in spii their sophistication and capacity plots, settled so readily when chips were down for 3/- a day rise in lieu of their original g! vision of £30,000 a year clear pro