THE WATERFRONT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3000, 10 February 1917, Page 10

THE WATERFRONT

STATE TAKES A HAND

MAY ASSUME CONTROL OF WHARVES NO WORK ON WHARVES TO-DAY WANGANUI BOATS MUST BE WORKED-".-•i-By far the-most, important event affecting' the; waterfront labour trouble .-yesterday.-was the- publication iu the i" GazettoVof ; vefy "important War- Ilegtilations by-which the Government take '^TOrWassuniecipiitrol.of thd wharves f aiid ito' work't : he' ! c'argo into and. out of- : v It is not stated . that- the -Government has decided to exercise these.powers at. once, but • from the appearance of things now it is - not improbable that in Government' ; control will be found: the ; ultimate solu- .. tion- 'of. thotronble.' . . To'take' absoluto control of the wharves by destroying all the present •prganiMtionii of. .the . employer?,' and ; ,.entirely.' new one,, would be a, task pf-jverv, great difficulty, and a .task SyliicK would not be very quickly " completed.-'..jnvtho meantime work would be delayed, and .the urgent need of'saving the time of overseas ships lpust be ■ one cjf | the main reasons prompting .the Government to take action; It seems probable, therefore, that the Government will use some or all of the employers: already Well established organisation ;for the employment of men, tbe> payment of them, the keeping . ■ of their time records, and the general office .work which all this requires. The Government would, of course, have to appoint a supervising' officer, or possibly, several officers, who have knowledge- of. shipping and waterside work, to exercise control. It is reported that the -men will bo willing to wOrk even the "black" ships if the .Governmbnt takes control "and orders the working of them. No compromise on this question can bo acceptable to the employers. The first concern of the Government is very properly with the overseas ships carrying produce which is urgently ?needed' in Britain. If labour were engaged for these ships., and the men .wero still allowed, to. sqy whether they would work ■ the "black" .ships, which are coastal vessels, these coastal ships would ho tied, up for an indefinite period; For this reason the employers have insisted and still insist, that .the i Wanganui Mats, loaded by 'free labour, shall be manned before any other-labour is engaged.;. This plan of action, .they had already'; embarked jipqri'i and they were prepared to -continue'TvitJi it. No -labour Tvas'eng'aged on-the wharf yesterday, with the exception of a gang for the ferrv steamer, but gangs engaged the previous day unloading ships mostly , carrying.'perishable cargo, were allowed to finish. with them. Altogether very little work was . done. To-day there , will: be, practically no' work oil the at all, unless,, of : course, the will -accept engagement for the Wanganui ships. It may bo expec^d.that question will -be raised'about the pa? and conditions '.of. work if the .Government should have to take over control. If any such question slioulfl be raised it is "certain that the employers will ."protest very strongly against - 'any departure ;from the terms of : the -existing agreement, especially in view of. the fact that a dispute has" been filed for raforonce to tho .Arbitration Court.