Vanguard rejects Green Paper, but New Craig party

report on unregistered ports has been welcomed as a useful step forward' by Jack Jones, Transport and General Workers' Union secretary. As far as his docker memhers are concerned it is no such thing. THE EXTREMIST Ulster Vanguard Movement, the last Protestant organization to comment on the Tory government's Green Paper for Northern Ireland, said yesterday it was designed to weaken the power of the Protestant majority.

preliminary near-Continental container and roll-on, roll-off traffic is 62 per cent.

But the report recommends no extension of the Scheme to cover these ports. Nor does it recommend any contribution to the National Dock Labour Board levy through which the scheme is run.

In fact the report makes no recommendations at all. But there are some clear hints about which way the government should start making up its mind.

In a letter to Transport Minister John Peyton, NPC chairman Philip Chappell says that more time will be needed before 'firm advice' can be given.

It is important not merely to establish • the facts, but to see that their significance is fully examined and understood', he Chappell proposes that council reports more fully and formally by the end of the year.

The preliminary report says that at the 129 non-Scheme ports for which manpower information was available, the total number of men regularly handling cargo An average of 302 casual workers were employed.

In the scheme ports the remaining : four-fifths of Britain's trade is handled by 40,000 dockers.

This goes some way towards explaining employers the hostility shown by organizations to any extension of the Scheme, which guarantees dockers' jobs and gives them joint control over discipline.

The report notes that the CBI, the Chamber of Shipping, the Association of British Chambers of Commerce and 60 others had submitted evidence to it opposing extension, ONU HIVIVI OF WORK PRESS BUILD THI REVOLUT SUNDAY NOVEMBE Porchester Queenswa)

The government's determination to get a settlement in Ulster - backed up by thinly-veiled threats to review the level of subsidies unless the Loyalists show some willingness to compromise — has put Vanguard in a difficult position.

A continued hard-line stance could lose them the support of moderate Protestants and the last week will have been occupied with exhaustive soul-searching throughout Vanguard's leadership in a bid to define the limits of compromise.

Although he repeated his claim, first made at a Monday Club meeting in London, that the Protestant population was adequately armed and willing to fight, reports say Vanguard leader William Craig stressed that guns would be used 'only as a last resort'.

In fact after his 'I am prepared to kill' bombshell, yesterday's statement was notable for its moderation.

Craig said the policies in the Green Paper 'appear to be more concerned with weakening the political power of the Loyalist majority and sapping their will to resist'.

Far from repeating his earlier 'We'll use the gun' remarks, Craig said they would impose industrial, social and economic pressures' if the loyalists' democratic rights were not restored at Stormont.

Vanguard is not a registered political party, which it would have to be in order to take part in any talks with Tory Ulster boss William Whitelaw about the country's future.

Many of its members are also in the Unionist Party, from which they • would have to break if Vanguard was registered.

Nevertheless the decision has almost certainly been made to participate in such talks and Greater London Rally CELEBRATE SKU ANNIVEKSA nnn ANIAIILIIDAA OF WORKERS WE Craig said significantly that the Ulster Loyalist Council, of which he is also leader, was considering 'the formation of a new political Only 45 minutes after his Press conference, Craig announced that he had cancelled all public engagements for the rest of the week 'for health reasons' Confederation of British Industry chief Mr W. O. Campbell Adamson and William Whitelaw both gave news conferences in Belfast and Londonderry respectively yesterday in which they emphasized the capacity of the Ulster economy for growth (see p. I1).

Whitelaw said that the men of violence had not and would never wreck Ulster's economy. Since last week's publication of the Green Paper a calculated campaign has been mounted to further encourage moderate opinion in the north by highlighting the prospects for prosperity in the Six Counties if the bombers and the gunmen can be beaten and sectarian splits healed.

Confusion and fear is still widespread among Protestants and ex-Ulster Prime Minister Terence O'Neill warned yesterday that if the British army pulled out there would be immediate and bloody civil war in Northern Ireland.

Throughout the day yesterday there were isolated incidents by extremists on both sides.

An attempt was made to blow up a giant crane at Belfast shipyard with a 300lb charge and a Protestant was shot in the leg at the door of his home in the Shankill Road.

Catholics at the Lenadoon estate defended themselves after two houses they had occupied and which previously belonged to Protestant families were petrolbombed and a riot broke out involving about 120 youth.

At the southern town of Lifford, Co Donegal a crowd of about 200 rioted and stoned a police station after arms had been seized in the village. The Eire army was called in.

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PRESS Showing the Wirker::

At the same time a spokesman for Fine Fare, the supermarket chain, warned of many price rises before Christmas. lot of things are going up, in many cases tomatoes and apples. Our supplies will be from many thousands of miles away,' he said.

Craftsmen at the BP Refinery at Llandarcy, South Wales, yesterday decided to continue their fight for a pay increase.

The men, whose gross weekly pay is £36.50, are seeking parity with BP refinery craftsmen in Kent, who are on £40.90.

Since last week the 283 men have been running down the refinery and yesterday decided to return this morning to operate an overtime ban and work-to rule.

At the mass meeting the men expressed their disgust at the outcome of recent talks with management where no offer was made and no reasons given for the refusal.

It was also agreed at the meeting that the company could no longer expect the co-operation enjoyed from the craftsmen in the past 52 years.

Handel Davies, secretary of the joint craftsmen shop stewards' committee told the men:

'The position of the management has been aided tremendously by the recent actions of the Tory government.

'In all my years as a unionist, this is one of the most vicious Tory governments I have ever seen.' At Rolls-Royce, Coventry, about 300 foremen and key workers are due to stop today because of management's refusal to discuss a pay claim.

At Massey-Ferguson 40 paint shop men at the Coventry plant are still continuing their pay strike which has led to 1,400 workers being laid off.

Over 12,000 shipyard workers employed by Vickers at Barrow have been given up to £6 a week pay increases to date from last Monday, it was revealed yesterday.

A DELEGATE conference yesterday overwhelmingly • voted in favour of a pay deal for London's 23,000 busmen giving another f1 on basic rates and £1.50 on shift allowances as from November 4. Busmen with one year's satisfactory service will get an additional £50 lump sum payment from Christmas 1973. The acceptance of the agreement is conditional on changes in the schedules ind rest-day arrangements.

national secretary)

CONNIE FAHEY ›w tenants' leader) :ORIN REDGRAVÉ ROY BATTERSBY (ACTT)

ALAN THORNETT Juty senior steward s Motors Assembly, Cowley, Oxford)

GARY GURMEET (Edifor Keep Left)

Chairman:

MIKE BANDA ¡entral Committee) (Union Find tenant speakers personal capacity)

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