CARGO WORKING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 February 1939, Page 7

CARGO WORKING

GREATER EFFICIENCY ESSENTIAL STATEMENT BY MINISTER OF LABOUR. CONFERENCE TO BE CALLED SHORTLY. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, February 22. Determined that efficiency must take the place of “the inefficiency which unfortunately prevails on many New Zealand ports,” the Minister of Labour, Mr Webb, intends to convene at the earliest and most convenient moment a national conference between shipowners and the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union. All phases of waterfront work will be discussed at the conference, by which the Minister hopes to avoid the necessity of a commission of inquiry. If it is unsuccessful, however, the Government is determined to take what additional steps it considers necessary. The announcement of his decision was made by Mr Webb at the lunch hour yesterday, when he addressed a gathering of Auckland watersiders, pointing out that an enormous amount of criticism was being levelled against wharf workers for the high cost of loading and discharging cargoes. In an interview today Mr Webb said that it had been pointed out to him by many officials of watersiders’ organisations that much of the cost was traceable to methods of stevedoring, both abroad and in New Zealand. Instances had been mentioned where hundreds of tons of cargo consigned to Wellington had been loaded on top of the ship’s holds and had to be removed in order to unload the Auckland cargo, and then put back in the ship. “I told yesterdays meeting that if this sort of thing was happening the sooner that state of affairs came to an end the better and that it was my intention to convene a national conference for the purpose of discussing the whole question of work on the waterfronts of the Dominion.

“I explained that anyone loafing on any job could count on 100 per cent opposition from the Government, and if a few men imagined they could upset the whole working of the waterfront or any other industry a rude awakening was in store for them. Many instances of lack of discipline have been brought under my notice, and I am convinced that nothing short of a searching inquiry will meet the case. The. present dissatisfaction must stop,” he concluded.