STATE OWNERSHIP ENDORSED

Chronicle (Levin), 17 June 1946, Page 3

STATE OWNERSHIP ENDORSED

-Press ■ Association

By Telegraph-

"WELLINGTON", .1 une 1(5. lliylier puy for w ork on Saturdays and Sundays ivas delermined by tlie Kew Zealand Transport "Workers' Fedciution at its anuual conference 011 Saturday, as it« policy for all sectious of the transport iudustry lequiriug to operate over the whole week. Keprescntations for the establishinent of the iive-day stuggered week principle ixi all sections concerned, with penal rates for ' Saturday aad Sunday, will be made. Delegates were quite definitely of the { opinion; reported the seeretary, Mr. P. A. Hansen, at'ter the conference, that cinploynieiit in certain sections of ihe iudustry plaeed obligatlons 011 operatives wliich eould "be met only by tiio staggeriug of days. Delegates werc- just as deiinite, Mr. Hansen said, in tho claim that Saturday and Sunday work iniposed a hardsliip 011 the workers eoncerned which, although very rarely given proper reeoguition, eaused a drift away from these seetious of tlie iudustry concerned, to more eongenial jobs. Tliis drift was seriously hanipering tho iudustry. The policy lairl down, he deciared, was oue that would not only give reeoguition to the ueed for staggeriug in some sections but also to establish the principle of paviuent of penal rates for all work perforitied on Saturdays and Sundays. The conference completely emlorsed tlie decision of the New Zealand Federation of Labour tliat all transport should be State owned, with the objeet of co-ordiuating the whole of transport3 and to develop and maintain a national .transport system by sea, road, rail and

air. This cndorsement was given sub-: ject to the condition that workers in tlie iudustry shall be given sufticient re-j presentation to enable them to take tlieir share and due responsibility im tlie administration and management ofi the svstem. _ j Mr", AV. B. Rieliards, president of the Xew Zealand Tramway Employeesj Union, was re-elected president of tlie' Federation. Mr. E. A. Napier (IV atersiders' Union) was re-elected vice-presi-duit. Mr. P. A. Hansen, national secretarv of the Tramways Union, was reelected seeretary. All were unopposed. Members of the e.tecutive are elected directly by eacb group of alliliations. Tliey are: Alessrs H. T. Bishop (Amal-j gamated Society of Railway Scrvants),; T. Magee (Drivers' Union), S. AV. Lane; (Harbour Board employoes), W. A. Fox (cooks and stewards) and R. J. Smith (foreman stevedoTes). The executive was instructed to es-1 tablish branches of the Federation in; all centres of Xew Zealand, to-takej steps to ensure that the closest eoopera- 1 tion should apply not only "between head otlice of the Federation and branches but also between branches and trades councils of the districts con-; cerned. A restriction of the size of packages' and parcels to a weight not exceeding1 1-iOJb. is to be sought. This principle,; reported Mr. P. A. Hansen, was already! gaining reeoguition in many overseas countries notably Great Britain, United ! States and Australia. This nniform re- ■ : striction 011 weight enables them to be liandled with maximum speed and ■ etiiciency and ensures that they can be ; dealt with by one man at a time with- , out risk of injury or the necessity for : additional help wliicli greater weights 1 introduce. _ .. . l \