PORT AFFAIRS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 148, 18 March 1919, Page 6

PORT AFFAIRS

ANNUAL MEETING HARBOUR BOARD

PROFIT FOR YEAR £26,918

GRAVE LABOUR PROBLEMS

Mr. C. E. Danisll (chairman), Messrs. M. W. Welch, 3. G. Harkness, W. Hildreth, R. A. Wright, A. M'Farlane, and C- B. Norwood were present at tho annual meeting of the Wellington Harbour Board (held at noon yesterday in the board's room). Tho only business wns the presentation of the official annual reports of responsible officers, and tho figures for the year ended September 30 last. In moving the adoption of tho report, the chairman said: "On tho outbreak of war this board decided that we at least could not do 'business as usual.' Our national existence was at stake, and we suspended important works then in hand, and got into the fight. To-day it is our duty to get into the construction and development work of our country with the same enthusiasm as wo went into the war. Whilst our boys were away defending our shores we have plotted and planned work that we trust will in their civil life aid them and their children to a higher ideal of efficient citizenship. The Lloyd George Formula, "Scientific men have shown us that our rivers can be made to do the heavy work that to-day is done by the physical effort of men,. in a more efficient and economical manner. In our planning we 'have sought to design appliances that will utilise fully the forces to be brought to us by electricity and the Lloyd George formula for man power, 'using from the chin upwards.' An indication of this cen be seen when the electric tractor now in use on the wharf is compared with the man-propelled barrow beloved of oldtimers. Or further, the electric motor in, say, J woolshed, with the hydraulic appliances in U Shed alongside. In quite a number of operations one man is thus able to do efficiently the work of from three to twelve men. The plans already adopted provide for electric gantry cranes in a number of old sh?ds as well as in all new sheds, but British manufacturers are not yet able to supply the machinery required. Of mechanical tractors we have now coming to hand machines of varied design to suit different purposes; these will be tested with a view to filling our requirements. Of coal-handling appliances we have now proved that the grab, lifting one ton at a time by the use. of hydraulic cranes, is an efficient and economical method. The prejudices and fears of both .employers and men are passing; yet tlfe strained relations between Capital and Labour are such that comparatively'little use is made of the appliance, lien are making high wages in handling coal, yet in my judgment it would be moro economical if the community were to pay the full wages to three men, send two of the men home, say, to tend their gardens, and let the third man do the coal work with the appliances now provided but not used. The wasteful methods of handling coal in Wellington are unpardonable in sane men. Or take the handling of cheese, a precious article of food on the production of which men, women, and often children, up country have lavished care, enthusiasm and labour. This board has adoptee] improved methods for the better handling of the cases and hoping for the co-operation of stevedores, shipowners, and men. we provided trays on which were placed twelve cases or one ton of cheese ready to sling into ship, assuming, in our innocence, that the labour saved would encourage them to aid the producer' in presenting his product to market in the best condition. But no—the award allows us to put sixteen cases in a net. and so we are commanded to land the cheese on the wharf, where the cases are collected pell-mell in a net and in turn dumped on the ship's deck to at least some detriment to the market value of the cheese—ridiculous conditions in a self-respecting community. "Friction, Conflict, Waste!"

"Labour conditions, whilst lacking open conflict on a definite scale, have certainly not been satisfactory. Now Zoalanders are capable workers and wo have on the waterfront numbers of men whose capacity and diligence no fair man will question. Yet no responsi.blo citizen with any. pride in his country can clnini that the best is being done with the man-power employed on the Wellington waterfront. Some two-thirds of the labour is employed by overseas capital (there is little local capital employed here in shipping, and that little is apparently dominated by the big combines). The paid agents or servants of tho shipping companies are responsible to their employers, whose instructions naturally will be 'Obey tho laws of the country, conform to awards under your labour laws, but keep the ships moving, wo will make charges to cover all' .this —but keep tho'. ships moving. Now Labour leaders, equally intelligent with the representatives of Capital, recognising the conditions, are not prepared to be hustled except at a price, and soon realising their power, adopt tactics to servo their own apparent interests. The result is friction, conflict and waste, a noticeable feature of which is that of men walking away from ships a quarter of an hour before the usual hour of twelve or five, to which time they are presumably to be paid— a dishonourable practice, especially in men who talk much of oilier people's shortcomings.

An Extraordinary Position

"My own experience of tho average New Zealander "is that he loves a fair deal and yet, especially during recfnt years, a spirit of organised contention seems to dominate our industries. Salariserl experts in tactics have been evolved on both sidis (employer and employee), and I fear that these tacticians now decide the policy as well as the tactics on cither side, and in the ca-s"o of this board's \voi;k we ai;e the victims of the resulting decisions. 'We attend conference. Hie members of, which by deliberate majority voto'refuso to openly discuss their differences, and our members bring really outside (he contending combines, though representing interests that (mould bo common to all New Zealand citizens, are almost powerless then. Reflecting on the bedrock facts we realise that a contest is going on between men who d'fclare that. they seek only class interests, and men who, although New Zealand citizens, really represent oversea capital invested in and now dominating the transport trade from and to New Zealand, and too many of us fail to realise that we of this' land must ultimately pay the bill of costs. Is it not time that facts were faced and we realised that we need not be under the domination or patronage of capable adventurers of other lands. Drodginn and Reclamation, "Several sections of the'reclaimed lands lioth at Thorndon and Te Am have recently been utilised by tenants erecting buildings of substantial character, and it. is disappointing that wo have to report but little progress in the programme of further works at Thorndon, though this work when done will \ not provide land for other than, strictly transport service. The Railway Department's plans absorb practically the whole area originally outlined, pushing the board's works somewhat more seaward. But tin's 'board can do little in this exceedingly important national work till a man shall arise with imagination, capacity, and strength of will enough to move the several Government Departments involved. In the meantime wo have a dredging plant costing several thousand pounds a year irustiiur rather than wearing out, which should lie, and would l-<-in use if our oft-repealed urging did avail. The Slip. "As reported by the engineer, nothing further has been done towards I he pro" vision of a second slip for ship (.-leaning and repairs. In spite m! oii.i contract with the company controlling the existing appliances, it would be belter for I he well-being of the shipping industry hero that a port authority rather than a shipping company should control tho plant

necessary to enable repairs to be done prompt??/' Substantial Credit Balance, "The accounts susw a substantial credit balance on the year's working, duo largely to income for storage. Our 6heds aro designed to receive largo quantities of goods quickly handled in and out. The period of storage is generally short, days or weeks at most, and the by-iaw charges for storage aro based on that experience. But during the war the country's products accumulated, waiting for shipping, and sheds usually empty lor periods of time have this year been full for unexpectedly long periods. This, together with the fact that no labour was called for to handle the goods stored, accounts for part of the .position. A like position is not likely to recur. Wool, flax, and cheese particularly have been largely stored, and it will bo remembered that by agreement with the Government, acting for the owners, a special chargo was arranged to partially repay cost of erecting emergency cool stores. It was anticipated that this special charge .would be necessary for two years. A review with a view to reducing this charge appears to be practicable now. Staff and the War. "The serious depletion of the staff in various departments by members enlisting for war service lias made heavy demands on those remaining. Some officers have had no respite or holiday for several years,-but, buoyed up by a lino sense of duty and a hope to see their co-workers return, they do not complain. Still it is our duty to see justice done to men so worthy by arranging an early holiday for each so placed. Of those who went to the war somo' will never return, some, too, -who by diligence and ability had won the confidence and esteem of executive officers. The memory of these men raises in us pride as well as sadness. They, like thousands of other New Zealanders, have acted a part which was altogether beyond our'or their conception as possible, five years since. > Pipitea Wharf, "Of works immediately ahead, the Pipitea. Wharf must take first place, and it will bo desirable to call tenders for the work as soon as the structural steel can be secured for the wharf proper, leaving the contract for erection of sheds there till a later date. The less important wharf proposed f.t Te Aro could he built in quicker time under our engineer's proposals, and it will be necessary to early consider his suggestions in this direction. Of new sheds, that now being erected at Thorndon will not be fully available for trade purposes till some progress has been made with Pipitea Wharf. The erection of the additional shed near laranaki Street Wharf, which has been delayed waiting material, is now to be pushed forward. Tho engineer's report indicates much constructive work ahead, which work will have an important bearing on the efficiency of this port as a distributing centre. The engineer's proposals for tho handling of coals and of oils aro necessarily suspended till the indefinite attitude of the Railway Department re works at Thorndon is abandoned." Pass It On.

In seconding the resolution, Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P., said that a lot of questions would be asked as to how such- a largo profit on the year's working had been made. As had been explained, and it should be stressed as far as the public was concerned, that the profit had not arisen through imposing new duties, but was profit made out of the shortage of tonnage, necessitating the storage of produce over long periods. It was disturbing to hear of tho difficulties with labour on the waterside, when it was considered that the Harbour Board was not a capitalistic concern that went in for making profits. Then after what the chairman had said about the introduction of laboursaving appliances he did not know how tho problem was to be decided, but this at least was plain, that as surely as the expenses increased abnormally so surely were they passed on to tho community. The end was impossible to see. He regretted to learn that the pillaging of cargo was going on to a far greater extent than any of them knew. It was something terrific. He did not say it all occurred here, but, it was a crime that was growing ' alarmingly. Those peoplo who suffered were now providing for such losses by putting something extra on to the goods and passing it on to the people. Mr. Wright said that, in regard to the reclamation at Thorndon it was all plain sailing—that they were now waiting until the board did something. The chairman: "We can do nothing until they move!" Ho drew attention to tho remarks he made in his speech, to the effect that "the work was necessarily suspended till the indefinite attitude of the Railway, Department re works at Thorndon is abandoned^" In regard to the sfeond slip, Mr. Wright said that it was a matter that came up time after lime, and yet they never appeared to make any headway with it.

The chairman: They were waiting for miiterinl which had to be imported.

Mr. Wright: First it is one thing and then it is another—there always appears to be something to prevent anything being done." He congratulated the board on its very sound financial position.

As far as the nuances were concerned, Mr. J. G.. Ha.rkness said the statement was an excellent one. He complained of not getting" the statement sooner than six months after the end of the year, and suggested a half-vearly audit." It was satisfactory that the board had a credit balance, born not of ordinary revenue, but of revenue received on behalf of storage. He wished to make one or two remarks, not in a spirit of carping criticism. The chairman had- stated that the board was probably the most socialistic body in the Dominion, but it did tie itself up witli by-laws. Tho chairman: Wo make them.

Mr. Harkness said that a year ago a resolution had lieen passed authorising tho remodelling of tho by-laws, but ncTtliiug had ever been dono.

Mr.'Wright: Would you do without them ?

Mr. Hnrkness: No. but I. would do away with those which had been found wanting in Courts of law. I would have them brought into harmony with common sense. We don't ko by procedure— we are not like Parliament. We are governed by by-laws, but they should bo made more elastic than they are.

In the opinion of Mr. Harkness the first need of the port was more berthage accommodation for oceangoing steamersmore berths of a greater depth, Before the Pipilen Wharf would be ready it v/oull not, be considerably under four jvu.'s, and it would have been.of great advantage to have if. completed in two years. Whatever it would have cost, the board would have been reimbursed. The Thorndon reclamation was another wo'k that ought to bo gone on with. How could they expect the National Government to go. ahead with it when the board would hot go on with a similar work—owing to the war? Referring to the engineer's trip to America—which he thought a good idea—he asked what were the uses of all tho labour efficiency appliances if the men refused to use them? He. ak-o thought that the board should bori.iv.- in the cheapest market—they should go to London if they could deal more profitably than out here;

Mv. M. Welch asked whether an estimate had boon prepared of the cost of rerlfcimiii" the I'etone foreshore.

The engineer said the amount was men-tion-id « year, or so ago, and it was so muA that it frightened everyone. Mr. Welch: I don't know so much about that—if you spent .£IOOO and brmicht in JXiOOu you wouldn't call that a' bad financial proposition? '

The chairman (with a twinkle): "We've spmt .£II.OOO out there already."

Mr. Welch: "Spent it foolishly." The report and statements of finance wore adopted.

It was decided by resolution to allocate the credit balance, as follow:—Half surplus working account. .£IS..tS3 ss. 10d., to special reserve fund (slmm-bv for lean years'); .CIO.OOO to lie invested in War Bonds, and balance to bo placed on fixed deposit at i\ per cent.