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The Dominion. TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 1919. FRICTION AND WASTE

It cannot be said that the chairman 'of the Harbour Board was lacking in candour in his review of labour conditions on the waterfront at the annual meeting of the board yesterday. Mr. Daxiku, ,was refreshingly plain spoken and downright in his condemnation of the state of affairs which has been permitted to grow up in the working of cargo at this por't, and most people will share in his disappointment and disapproval. But what, is the remedy? On his own showing the Harbour Board Iris already provided means by which some material improvement in the handling of coal and produce might have been effected. These labour-saving devices, however, have not i'ound favour. The coal grab, which he describes as an efficient and economical method of handling coal, is not used as it should be because of the strained relations between employers and workmen. A device designed to ensure the better handling ot cheese and which would assist the producer to place his product on the market overseas in first-class condition was objected to by the workers and discarded. Yci, it is to the interest of everyone that our produce should land in England in the best possible condition and secure the highest possible price. So also it is in "the interests of everyone that our coal cargoes should be handled in the most economical manner and the cost to the consumer kept down. It is not contended that the port of Wellington has provided the most up-to-date appliances for cargo handling or that the accommodation available at the present time is all it should be. The war, indeed, has kept the port back, and in some respects it falls materially short of requirements. But this does not affect the question raised by the chairman of the board in his comments yesterday on cargo handling. What he is concerned over and what the public must be equally concerned over is the spirit of antagonism which exists on the waterfront, and which largely nullifies progressive measures for the betterment of existing conditions. Whatever the cause there is no doubt that the trouble is there.

The idea that the introduction of labour-saving devices is opposed to the_ interests of Labour is a fallacy which has been exposed too often .to need discussion at this hour. The cheaper production and transport are made, consistent with fair wages and working conditions' for those employed, the better it is for the whole community. That is obvious. If cargo handling, is carried on in a costly and wasteful fashion then the community which ultimately has to pay for the goods which go to make up the cargo must pay. so much more for what they purchase on account of this unnecessarily costly handling. If it takes three men to do by hand and with laborious effort what one man can <lo more cheaply and efficiently with the aid of _ a machine or a mechanical appliance, then not only is the cost of handling reduced by the adoption of the latter method, but the services of two,men are released and made available for other work. And to-day this is a matter of vital importance to this Dominion. There lies.ahead of us in the immediate futuro the possibility of a tremendous era,of development. For nearly four years development work of practically all descriptions has been almost at a standstill. Apart from private undertakings held in suspense, railways, roads, bridges, and all the measures that go to facilitate and promot'ft land settlement require to be pushed on with all the. energy possible to make up for lost time. This means productive work for all who are capable of doing it. Added to these undertakings are the great hydro-electric power schemes which hold promise of enormous benefits to every section of people in New Zealand. These works are held up now through scarcity of labour, yet it is to the interests of all that they should be pushed through to completion with the greatest possible speed. Organised Labour is likely to profit more than any other single class of the community by development works which will lead to increased production in- our primary ' industries or which will enable the State to provide cheap power and lighting for' manufacturing industries of various kinds. Labour as a •body, however, is either indifferent to these things or stands aloof. The spirit of antagonism which underlies the strained relations on the waterfront, to which the chairman of the Harbour Board refers, is not confined to wharf-workers and their employers. It extends into various branches of industry, and there is, to use the words of Mr. Daniell, "friction, conflict, • and waste," to the detriment of the whole community. It is one of the many causes of the increased cost of living, and to.all appearances one of the most difficult to oradicatc.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19190318.2.10

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 148, 18 March 1919, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
815

The Dominion. TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 1919. FRICTION AND WASTE Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 148, 18 March 1919, Page 4

The Dominion. TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 1919. FRICTION AND WASTE Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 148, 18 March 1919, Page 4

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