HARASSED HARBOUR BOARSS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 954, 22 October 1910, Page 4

HARASSED HARBOUR BOARSS.

fEy T(dezr»Bli.-fii>€dal Oorrcspondsnu

MR. MILLAR, STILL AT IT.

1 Wanganui October 2L The Wanganui Harbour Board is ia conflict with the Railway Department • over the latter's action in raising the handling charges for goods on Wanganui Wharf from Bd. to lOd. per,ton. The wharf belongs to the hoaTd, but by ~ an agreement with the Department, is' worked by the' late, which -recovers the cost from the board by levying a charge per ton. The practice of the Department, when unloading coal for , itself, has been' to pay the men a less ' pate of wages than that paid by private employers. In June last a deputation . from the men waited on the Minister * for Railways in connection with the matter, and tie Minister promised tfl raise the Department's rote to -thfl" same level as, that privately paid. - Through some misunderstanding'the De-', partment raised the wages not only for • handling its own coal 4 but for all classes of goods and in order to protect rteejf againtit its own mistake, it has raised '/ the charge to the board as stated above.. The board, while it feels the men's reguest to bo reasonable, does not see why it should be called "on to pay for,the Department's mistake, and the laVter, having given more than was asked, the board says 'that it objects to "find; the wherewithal to enable the Depart-' iment to gaiu'ii reputation for .ultra" ' 'generosity," "' . i ' ' At a special meeting of the board, at which the matter was discussed, it wap' pointed out that tbe Department's action would penalise the port'consider—' there appeared to be a - de- k cided disposition on the part of members to cancel the agreement altogether, and take over the working of the wharf' themselves. The board finally passed ti. • resolution of formal refusal to agree to the estra charge imposed by- jt2)o Railway Departiaant.