CASUAL WHARF LABOUR.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2161, 29 May 1914, Page 6

CASUAL WHARF LABOUR.

. It must; be gratifying to the Massey Goyernmerit to find that so bitter a, political oppoaontas the Chairman of tte local Harbour Beard now showssiges of efldorsipgf its saggosfced policy for tteftiirig with the troubiosome questipa af casuiil labour on tjia Tvatcriront. At the saffie tim it would seem that the HarWu , Board itself has only tho haziest i<k& oi what is iifcely to be accomplished tiftder its proposals a.s agreed to at the meeting of t,k board on Wednesday evenitig last. It no doubt soutKis a very easy .and a very satisfactory way of disposing of the- casual labour trou&le to adopt tho simple expedient of oanveftiing the casual tafeout into periaafient. hhmv. But imfortnnately ife is by no mentis dear how this happy condition of things is to bo brought about, gave at an cMorwoKsly ioftreasixl cost to the working »J tlte port. Bow is work to he found fort-he largo army of pcyeianent employees at- slack seasons of tha ysa-r ?" Of <souTse it wpiiid bo possible to add a comparatively small proportion of the casual wmiors to tho existing 'number of permaneat employees; aide! find tlmm :fvili employment all the year round; but this would not reiicvo the situation. It would benefit the few htcky enough to receive .the perraaiMKt |ositio»s, but the great bulk of the casuals would be worse off than ever, The proposal to make the Harbour Boards tho controljiag authorities of all waterfront labour was, we believe, raised at tho conference of Hai'bcmr Board representatives and othei-s coswenfid by the Puxsie MtstsTEB m connection with Ihi? "hiestrife, and is out; which has a good deal in ite favour. Certain benefits. might follow on stifih a eoiirse, but the disadvantages arc not to b? light- ; ly laid aside. If w 0 understand'tte i position eorspfictly, these fti-e some-. thing like 2000 casual wharf workers' about the Waterfront here, aad Jljj, ■ Fletcheb thinks that sgibc SOD of these (Bight be given periuaaent posl'- i tions. _ How te arrives at'this csti*' , mate is not stated, but it may boi taken for granted that it represents the maxifliuw mimber for ■β-hom pui , - manent employment could he fouutj. The retnaindor, as already staloa, wmdd he worse of tfa&n ever. It js suggested that a proportiois of tboso excluded from tho ranks of the p e i--Rianente would be forced by 'the course tyketi to loave the waterfront and. Uiak clsewthu'D fev tvork, Tins may bo true, but it is \r-pll ljnowi) that at. busy times all the existW Inbonr available i?. rocjuiccd to Vi-otSj fche vpsscls i).' port with reasonable dispatch., and if any large number of casual workers is driven awis.jthere inustb-B a sfeorKige, whiefa is liable to &nrioiKsly inconvt>nip)icp shinpinpt, traders, oxporters, a ad tiio whole commuiiit-y. No doubt jt would ho in many rospents ft good thing if there vret6 fewer men hanging abetif, tl» wh:o:vvss waifcmg fevwptk, fy.it aeitte the Earbotw , Board aor any-

mie elsg ca.il hopn to c'tife this fivil wjtUoHt cms ting'another—that k, a scarcity of labour when it is needed, or ' fcjie payment of permanent nmplayces ui slack times when there is no work for them. In socking to minimise the existing evils associated with casual work on the waterfront, the G-ovennncnt ami the Barbottr Boards must boar in mind the general public, if is a costly thins; "for vessels to lie idly in port awaiting discharge or the taking in of cargo, ami if •Wellington adopts a scheme Witch- is going k> place the port at a aiEft dvantage in this respect as compared with other ports, the whoio of tnia community is going to suffer,Mb. Cohen, when aftswei-Jng the complaint that the shipping companies might bo expected to object- to the added cost which would be -(retailed by the carrying out of %o suggested changes, cheerfully remarked that the cost could be passed, on to the consumer, as was at present done. This is the sort of avgiuncwt the -cmi-isuißof is growing a U-ttli? tired of. The passing.-on process of late years has been hitting tlj« everyday eitken from quite a number of directions, and the cost of living has been heljjeci up materially in consequence. So far as Wo can sec, tljet-e is funplo room for improvement in the bandling of casual labovii- fit the ttcttarfrout-, but befctfe EarHajßranfc commits itself to the grafitSng pi such powers As suggested by the- WeliingUμ Harbour Board, it should Bocure the opinions <ai the hoards, in oHkx parte of tlje Dosiiinion, and ascertain also with stich dogi'vjfl oj esacln&ss an may be possible what it Is lifaty to cost the Community if tho proposed changes are given offecfc io.