WATERFRONT LABOR.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 May 1921, Page 5

WATERFRONT LABOR.

ONE CAUSE OF UNREST. PERMANENT WORK SOUGHT. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. The Chamber of Commerce recently received from the Government a questionnaire of 22 questions regarding waterfront labor, and the matter was referred to a sub-committee, which has now presented a draft of the replies. It expresses the opinion that the chief defect of the present system is the large number of men in excess of the normal wants of the port. Dissatisfaction is engineered by the failure of the surplus in obtaining employment, jit is possible to devise a satisfactory system of permanence of employment for at least the number of men normally required. A scheme of partial pennantent employment would not meet the case, but provision should be made for a reasonable amount Of registered casual labor for times of pressure, the essence of the proposal being provision for transference of labor among local bodies, Government departments, etc. As regards control, the committee says the owners would scarcely consent to the Harbor Board undertaking loading and unloading, unless under the close supervision of the ships’ officers, but there may be reasons for recommending that the board could undertake delivery from the ship’s slings.