INVESTIGATIONS URGED

Chronicle (Levin), 7 February 1948, Page 5

INVESTIGATIONS URGED

Too Matty GoHCessions To Watersiders AUCKLAND, Feb. 6. "A set of cireumstance's. exi'sts. which precluci.es the speeding iip of the tUfli-foltnd of ships Which mttst contiliue until siveh a tiine as the GoveHinient is prepated completeiy to iiivestigate ait mattt'l'S pertaining to the wateffi'opt hnd. to take aiithoidtative aetioii nvhere necessary,n States .the report bf th'e faet-finding comnlittee of the Port of Auckland Clearanee Conffereiiee, issued by its chairman, Mh J, Melling. . . The report states that the com-' mittee which represented. many organisatioiis, oncountered many complexities ahd differenees of opinion but the filidings might be regarcted as imanimous with the exeeption that representatiyes of the Water side Workers' Uiiion deeided that they -would withdraw before linality tvas reached. "We find that there has been a detinite reduetion in the amount of cargo handled per paid hour," states the repbrt. There has beeil a reduetion in Uormal workiiig hours 011 the waterfront of nine hours per man per week aild a large increase in the number of man-hours lost through stoppages. The overali resuit has been a reduetion in the rate of cargo handliing per gang per paid hour and a great inerease in the timo tliat vessels are held in port." Repoi'ts submitted to the committee showed a loUdiiig and . discharging uverage on coastal vessels of 11.0 toiir per gang per hour in 1938 alid 8.1 tous in 1947. On oversetls vessels the discharging rate had steadily decliiied from' aboUi 10 toiis per gang per hour in 1937 am P 8.0 tons in 1938, to about 7 tons in 1947. The rate 6f loading butter per gang per paid hour in .1938, 15.1 tons, had fallen to 11.98 tons in 1947. Other retnrns showed corresponding redli'ction.s in the fate of loading ot eheese, meat and wool. The coastal steamer Waipiata handled cargo in ,1940-47 at the rate of 39.73 tons average per Iterth hour compared with 75.47 tous in 1945-40. . "These lattct ligutes, as submitted by the Auckland- Harbour Board, have not been dispro.ved by aiiv parties to the eonference, " adds the report. ".Aithong'h th'e watel'side wofkers' representatives tepudiated the figures submitted showing d'ccreases ,in the rate of cargo handlihg, a statement submitted by. the union made no reference to' the rate of working either in -the pa.st of at the prescnt time." The report supports the view of the Waterfront Industrv Commission that the spelling system cannot be jiistilied. "This committee finds that inclustrial agreements over the years, followed more recently hy the Waterfront Ihdustry CommisSion's orders, have in each succfessive awaiti and order added furtlier restrictive conditions which have cultMnated in the p'resent set-up which is not conducive to the efficient unioad- [ mg and loading of ships," says the report. These restrictive conditions were progrfessively conceded. to the watferfront industry as some compensation for the ba'sual hature of the "work and as the casuai nature of the work has lafgeiy disappeared and now has almest- all the advantages of permanency, it is considered that the Governmeiit, throiigh a commission, should re'vifew the eoiiditibns of wofk.on Ihe watferfront havihg regard to bonditions pertaining to other awards ahd indus;rial agreements. The fepresentative of the, Drivers' Unibn 'disSented trdm the view contained in- this section of the report. Tke repoi't states that if all members tof Ihe Watei'side Workers ' ITniOn are reasonably* effective, there is no sliort.tge of wharf labour but records show tliat an average of over 20 per cent. of mion rnembei's do liot report for employment each dav, even allowing for kolidays, and th'e absehce of men or. compCnsation absenteeism is considerid to be too great. "We iind there is a tendency for wharves, carriers, Warehouses, railway goods services and other organisations to hegin closing up earlier than necfessfry resulting in the aggregate in a considerable loss of working tlmfe," .tays the rfeport. From tiiile to tittie ohere is delay with customs entfi'es and n the prieing of goods by the Pri'ce Pribunal which causes congestioh of joods in the wharf sheds and stores. • The i'eport recommends that the Minister of Customs and Minister oi fndustries and Commerce should be asked °to delegate authority to loeal offices ... whieh could dea,l - with these matters' fex-peditiously. The frequfent shortage -of railway trucks will be impihved progressivel W by the importatioir and liuilding of furIler trucks, .considers the committee. It would also be imp.roved if coastal -hipping were turned, round fasteV, tlius ob'viating the present necessitv of send"ng Soiith Tsland Chrgo to Auckland by tail through other North Island ports. Every orgarttsat-ion should take every possible step to relfease trucks to speed up the Hihi -ro timi of overseas ships.