SURPLUS LABOUR

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2144, 9 May 1914, Page 6

SURPLUS LABOUR

ON THE WHARVES PERMANENT STAFF PROPOSAL a* ■ • .■ .. u b GOVERNMENT SYMPATHETIC f i! it The case of the wharf worker who'is 1! reduced ,te spending his days siittiug on h a stringer bacauso tin 1 ! supply of Utbpui l I; on tire krca.l wharves csccwls tlio tie-, a maud, was again brought under tlnr no- 0 tico of tiie Riglit HOll. W. F. Masscy li (Prime Minister) yesterday by a depu- a tation representing the executive of the, 11 Wellington Wharf labourers' Union, c Tlse, n'ieinbors of the <kputatio.ll wero a Messrs. J. L. Radcliffe (president), W. I M. Comiell (vice-president), and T. J. c 'Ladd. \ v Mr. Radcliffe said that the deputation had eomc to ask tho Prime Minister s whether something could not W done 1 in reference to the Surplus labour oil t. tho waterfront. At present there were t something lite 1500 ar IfiOO 1.11011 on the ( .waterfront, and at any time of the week s a laFge number.of these men were idling 1: their time away because tlnji'e was no ( ■ work for them to do. On an average a tliero was work for 700 -or 800 men, and e the balanco.o'f the IGOO earned some i of them nothing at all, and others form i; ss. to 355. a week. They "mtld not c Jive under these coiidititrns. Tlio union ( had been dfectissing the matter, ami as f a result the depoiatiea had ems to f ask tho Prims Minister whether 501110- }; ] thing could not >be d.ono to impwive con- i ditions oil tto waterfront by putting on v ■ a permanent staff at a peroianent wage, t : Tho Press had he-en agitating this 5 scheme, and the Hrfrbour Board also was f in favour of it, The deputation sug.gost- t ! cd. that tho Harbour Board should /bo t i given control over the whole waterfront. ~ That was tho. only -Way they could see < out of tho difficulty in the meantime. It was & setions thing that so wany. men shtnild be idle , and something should be i in the matter if passitjlfc. 5 Harbour Board Control. ] Mr. Coonell said .that c-Wryqne recog- ( nised that surplus ■labour on the. water- j froflt was an evil. Thc > s»gg«stion about c tlio Harbour Board taking over the con- j trol of, labour on tho local waterfrolit was hrerely .a suggestion; 110 doubt legis'- ; lation would be necessary. • Their k!B«. ; was that an experiment might be tried • on tiie Wellington Waterfront. It was ' in the interests not tally- of the shipping 1 companies aiid the men, hut- of the gen* J oral public- aa well, that this problem i of surplus labour should be tackled. ] Where tltero; was only oniploymcnt. and ] a decent living'for i'itiO or 700 -nwui, it- ] was not fair that the others should b-6 , kept lounging about without any chance j of earning a living wago. Pernia-nMice df employment. would also allay much j of the discontent- that existed. ' /, Mr. La3d said that it was • -really , necessary that- legislation should ho brought down to empower the Harbour , Board to deal with this question of surplus labour. The hoard should havo ■ power to work eonl and. cargo and do all the delivery a.lKl receiving of cargo right ftrfliighoui, so that the shipping co-mp-itnifes would iKive r»thing to do with the cmpi'oymerit of fatbenr. » This might upset .the employers, but_ they (the -deputation) W'ere looking at it. only from the employees' :po-int '.of view',Finally Mr. Lack! emphasised /'.ho- importance of making every working man a pfoducer so that ho might he enabled to ademvately support- his wile and ■ family.■. 7 - -- j , PRIME MINISTER IN REPLY. THE SCHEME SUPPORTED. The Prune Ministor, m replying, thaftksd tho rfiewhe-rs, of the deputation fcf the reasonable, moderate, a-iid logical nvamier in which they had put forward their request, He- ou to statethat ho had been interesting liiwseM in this question of s-mjlu-s .waiersido labour for some time past) although he had heea otherwise cccupi<d for tlio past few wfiflJss, Ho had been endeavouring to bring about a .hotter state of things on. tlio wharves, and with that end in view tod convened a- conference representative or the differc-at harbour boards, and to 'a certain" extent of the shipping interests. throughout, the dominion, At tho oosfowfio6.it was p'wiiit-cc-1 out that there 'wore certain difficml- * fies in the way. of arranging for a per- '• manenfc staff of wat-er'siders at euc-h 'of 1 the~pfin-oipal parts' throughout the Doliiiriion. . He that theso uijiA--cifl-ties eoald ho got rid.of.' Since the conference his had not had any -Carres* pondeace.either -with the harbour boards or with tho representatives of shipping interests, hut ho would he very glad indeed to submit their, suggestion to th? Wellington -KarboUr Board, irith a- view t.o getting something definit® to g-o upon. Then lie- would snhmit tho matter to Cabinet. Ho'was-"'very strongly of opinion that' somothijig could bo done to improve tho- condition of things on the waterfront, not only in Wellington, but- in the other important centres of th» Dominion. Personally li-o thought that iL it were ptfssthle to arrange' it,' there slioul.d he a permanent staff at each of'the important cejit.rcs ami that ■ not-only -should there he a permanent ■ staff, bit that something in the way of superannuation should be provided for | that staff,- as it was for those in the ; employ of the State. Whsn he had received ft- rppiy from tha 'Wellingtoi Harbour Board, or possibly soon Si', ll© would lay the representations made to him that- day before Cabinet, and endeavour to havo something doiw to r-envwly the • present state of affairs.