FRUSTRATED HOPES

Chronicle (Levin), 17 February 1947, Page 4

FRUSTRATED HOPES

-Press Association

Commission Chairman On Waterfront Affairs

By Telegraph—

_ ■ WELLINGTON, Feb. 16. . '/We all sineferely hoped that whefi, the Waterfront Industry Commission . began operatians that we were goin'g to do a good job for the countfy, biit eoiistant disagreements .* frustrated those hopes," said Mr. Justiee Ongley today. ' ' Ihstead of being a detached and ihi partial commission, as the G'oVernmdnt had intended, the ofganisation proved t.o consist of t\vo sharply* different sides attempting to sit as a court. Practieally from the commencemerit tliere was no agreement' between the opposing sides. "It seemed they were, not able to give way and their hands were tied by resolnrionS of their separate organisations, employers and uhion. I do not know how far they were aetually bound but. it appeared that the parties were not able to depart -from prior instructions. When no one agreed, the responsibility fell upon me, as chairman, to deeide everything. Eventually it became clear that the situation was impossible. "I wish to - say, however, that the assistanee given b}r the staff of thdOommission was .invaluable, " Mr. Ongley said. He did not wish to malce or imply critieism of the Government. Ho was satisfied the integrity of the Government was beyond question and it was primarily concerned with maintaifiing the waterfront service without dis,* ruption. The Government had beeri in an awkward situation and it had to do the best it could in very difficult eircumstances.

The Government had been faced with the prospect of a damaging rupture of the waterfront service of compromising to avoid a rupture. He thought that whatever the Government had done or yielded, it had not been because the Government so desired but because il did not want to let the Commission or him down. Mr. Ongley said he could only guess at the future of the Commission, but thought it likely to be reconstructed with all its defects, the fundamental one being the attachment of members to interested organisations. The Commission did operate for some eight months without any serious hold-up on the waterfront, until after tlie fnidings at the end of last year when the Watcrside Workers' Union began to work only '40 hours weekly. The Commission niight have been different had representatives on it been free, gs , they properly sliould have been. "That was the basic defoet, ' ' he said. "They nev.er were t'rCft. Union representatives, for example, were still dependent on union votes. It was a dual position, unfortunately. " Regarding his intentions, Mr. Ongley said he was .Tudge of the Compensation Court and had previously come to the eonclusion that the additional duties as chairman Of the Commission could not be performed satisfactorily. largely because of the disagreements vvhicli he had mentiotied. The Commission duties had reached a poinl where they were becoming a full-time task.