WHARF EARNINGS

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 29, 29 October 1942, Page 4

WHARF EARNINGS

Class A Men Average £ll For 14 Weeks HIGHEST £l4; LOWEST £S The average weekly earnings of A class watersiders employed by the Wellington Harbour Board were £ll 7/8 for the 14 weeks ended October 6, the highest weekly average being £l4 10/1 and the lowest £B/10/1. In the 13 preceding weeks the corresponding figures were £ll/19/10, £l6/2/7 and £7/19/3. Figures for B class watersiders for the 14 weeks ended October 6, with those for the preceding 13 weeks in parentheses, given in the same order as above, are:—£7/11/6 (£B/6/2); £ll/19/1 (£l3/14/1) ; £4/12/- (£4 2/3). These figures were given in a quarterly return presented to the board last night. For the quarters ended April and July respectively the cost a ton of handling English and foreign- cargo was 40.38 d. and 45.05 d. The figures for Australian and coastal cargo were 48.02 d. and 41.41 d. A memorandum stated that the cost of English and foreign cargo had been reduced because of the amount of army equipment for which the board had not supplied labour.

The cause of the increase in Australian and coastal cargo had been the Australian section because of the types of cargoes which included small timber, pig iron and long steel landed before the cargo from a previous vessel was delivered; also wet weather and non-union labour.