LABOUR CONGRESS. YESTERDAY'S BUSINESS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 91, 19 April 1911, Page 10

LABOUR CONGRESS. YESTERDAY'S BUSINESS.

INSPECTION OF WHARF. .WOP.X. [BY TELEGHAPH — PRESS ASSOCIATION.] CHRISTCHURCH, 18th April. The Trades and Labour Council's Conference was continued to-da-y. COMPENSATION FOR ACCIDENTS. Mr. Fordo (Southland) moved— "That the Workers' Compensation for Accidents Act, 1908, be amended to provide for country workers an ambulance chest and all appliances necessary to render first aid, and to further provide for medica. l attendance." Tho mover eaid that the remit specially applied to sawmill workers. Tney had known of men who had actually died of their injuries because the necessary appliances were not at hand. In the case of Stewart Island, for instance, there was no doctor there, and the steamer only rari intermittently. The . Government had adopted the system on the railway, and the remit only asked for an extension of the system. Tho remit wae seconded by Mr. Horning (Auckland), and supported .by other mem belts, who suggested that similar attention should be paid to waterside workers, workers on country stations and farms, a-nd workers in mines. The remit was agreed to. Mr. Reader (South Canterbury) moved — " That the Workers' Compensation, for Accidents Act be amended to provide for payment in full from the date of accident until the worker injured ib able •to resume work, atid that all medical certificates be paid by employers." Mr. F. Lurch seconded the motion. He did not think the request would be granted, but they might as well ask for it, as it was a fair reauest. ** Mr. W. T. Young (Wellington) moved an. amendment — " That the worker should' receive- full wages from the date of his injury up ,to the day he was able to follow his ordinary occupation.. and 1 that all medical expenses incurred as the result of such injury should be paid, by -(the employe?." This, he explained, expressed the view of the Wellington council. Mr. Reader accepted this amendment, which was agreed to. SHIPPING AND SEAMEN. - Mr. W. Bate, on behalf of the Waterside Workers' - Federation, ' ' moved — " That the Government b& urged to bring down an amendment to the Shipping and Seamen Act to provide that where any cause of - action shall arise against any ship not registered in New' Zealand, or not naving a registered office or agent in New Zealand, in connection with any injury suffered by any person employed on such vessel or injury to or loss of cargo, service' of a writ upon, the master of the vessel' while in New Zealand or .upon his agent shall be deemed to "be sufficient service." This was seconded by Mr. W. T. Young. Mr. M'Laren (Wellington) said that Imperial sanction might be necessary before the amendment could ,be passed into law. The remit was agreed' to. 7 WORK ON- WHARVES. - _ Mr. P. Lurch, on behalf of ths Waterside Workers' Federation, moved "Thatth© Government appoint inspectors to inspect gear and other work connected with the shipping of each port, and that the inspector have power to condemn any running gear, links', chain slings, or hooks not properly stamped, and that all hooks, chains, chain slings, etc., shall be tested and stamped once in every twelve months, and that the Government pass a Bill compelling all vessels to~ have a net the length arid breadth of hatch, to be made fast before any' hatches or bearers are put on or taken off ; the nets to be used for nothing else but to save men from falling down the hold Any vessel not having these nets, or not having them kept in good order, shall be liable to a neavy fine." ' Me. Sate said that it was very necessary that something should be done for the protection of waterside workers, whose occupation was fast becoming more dangerous than mining. There had been no end of accidents through workers falling down hatches. Mi". M'Laren (Wellington} said that the accidents mentioned in. the Marina Department's reports were reported to the Marine Department. , There were last year oniy 72 reported, but as a matter of fact there were 260 accidents in Wellington alone. There was a great necessity to inspect gear in Wellington. There had been three pianos and two bales put into one net and dumped on the wharf. The discharging of oatmeal and flour cargoes on to dirty, filthy wharves should also" be enquired into. He had seen flour dumped down on dirty wharves, where people had been walking and spitting. Mr. W. T. Young said that when some of the colliers took their hatches off there was no protection left. On one occasion in Wellington there had been five pianos and three rolls of paper lifted by one wire. Even if that had weighed five tons, and the wire had been tested up to seven tons, a jerk would have caused the weight to exceed the tested strength. He strongly supported the proposed use of nets, which 'would result in the saving of many lives. Mr. M. Laracy thought that the remit should be laid before the Minister by, a deputation from the conference. / Mr. Whiting said that where lives were at stake something out of the ordinary should be done. A* special deputation should be appointed to 'wait on the Government, instead of leaving the matter to the deputation -which went "cap in hand" to lay the resolutions of the conference before the Ministry. The Government lei the matter drop, and then the remit came up next year as usual. The chairman said that his opinion •vas that whenever a fatal accident occurred on a wharf all hands should stop work until after tho funeral. "They would take good care in the future," Mr. Reardon concluded. Mr. Lurch, in reply to Mr. Whiting, said that it was proposed to suggest a fine of not less than £100. Ec believed that the accidents on. the Greymouth wharf exceeded those in Wellington. The remit was agreed to. "UNGODLY HOURS." Mr. Lurch moved : "That the Government be urged to bring -down an amendment to the Harbours Act in the direction of compelling work to cease on .fche wharves of the Dominion between the houfae of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m." The mover referred 1 to the arduous nature of the occupation of the waterside workers. He contended that frequently complaints of shortage of trucks were caused by ships working all night, while the ordinary worker who emptied the trucks stopped at 5 p.m. He objected to .tie "ungodly" hours, worked by waterside workers. As a general rule, a man became useless after 10 p.m. Mr. Hornig (Auckland) said that there was scarcely a place in the world where ships did not work the 24 hours. Mailboats, for instance, might have to do it. Perhaps an arrangement, of shifts might be more satisfactory than the stopping of all-night work. Mr. M'Laren (Wellington) said that arrangements could be made to avoid,; night work to a large extent. Sunday work had at one time been a disgrace to*, Wellington, but action taken by the men had put a stop to it. Mr. Earrant (Southland) said that the confflrancft should nob take any action to toJTPe^e^W^e.-JJ^ors^fi.pf #»

Dominion. He presumed that the waterside workers got extra rates of pay for night work. Mr. W. T. Young said that the remit would not be necessary if there were an established six or eight-hour day. He had known a waterside worker to work for twenty-four hours at a stretch. A man could not give satisfaction to his employment aftei" eight hours' laborious toll. The present? pernicious system was sending men prematurely to their graves. At present a vessel had to get a permit to work on Sunday. The same should apply to night work. In eleven cases out of twelve there was -no necessity to work after ten o'clock. Mr. E. J. Carey (Wellington) said that night work was. more a case of custom than of necessity. Mr. Forde (Southland) said that 210 argument haa been advanced to show that night work could be dispensed with. Mr. Laraey said that the chambers of commerce could deal with the commercial aspect of the question. The workers should not be asked to work after 10 p.m., or before 7 a.m. A 40-HOUR WEEK AND DOUBLE RATES FOR OVERTIME. Mr. Hornig (Auckland) moved : "That the conference declare in favour of a 40-hour week, and all overtime at double rates." Mr. Kemp (AucKland) seconded th© motion. Mr. Whiting suggested that the overtime question be separated from the the usual half -holiday. This was seconded by Mr. Farrant, but was lost, and the motion was also negatived. Mr. Hornig then moved : "That all overtime be paid for at double rates." This was carried. An amendment/ to the constitution tvais under discussion when the conference j adjourned till to-morrow. !