SERIOUS HOLD-UP

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 March 1939, Page 8

SERIOUS HOLD-UP

IN PORT OF WELLINGTON NEARLY 500 MEN DISMISSED ALLEGED “GO-SLOW” TACTICS. MEN SUPPOSED TO RESENT MINISTER’S SPEECH. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day, In what is described as one of the most serious hold-ups in the history of the port of Wellington, nearly 500 waterside workers were summarily dismissed yesterday afternoon and evening. Shipowners’ representatives claimed that the men were carrying out an organised go-slow policy. This is believed to have been occasioned by resentment at the speech of the Minister of Labour, Mr. Webb, at a conference of waterside workers and employers last week, when he said that if things continued as at present the Wellington waterfront would be held up as the laughing-stock of New Zealand, if not the worldShips affected were the overseas freighters Piako and Doric Star, the Home liner Rangitata, the intercolonial liner Maunganui, and the coastal vessel Waipahi. Other vessels in port continued to handle their cargoes.

The majority of the men were dismissed early yesterday afternoon, except the Waipahi’s two gangs of 16 men, who were discharged at about 8 p.m. The waterfront was quiet and orderly last night. On board the Doric Star, a scratch gang of shipping clerks and city workers continued to load by lamplight far into the night, in an effort to shin as much as possible of her cargo of chilled beef, liable to deteriorate if left on the wharf. PARTICULARS OF WORKING. Figures were given by the employers to substantiate their claims that the men were wqrjdpg slowly. Whereas professional watersiders, working in two hours yesterday morning, loaded only 321 quarters of chilled beef into the Doric Star, the two inexperienced gangs recruited to handle the cargo last night, leaded 386 quarters in 2J hours. The gangs in each case comprised to same number of men. The general secretary of the New Zealand Waterside Employers’ Association, Mr W. Bennett, said last night that the go-slow movernent noticed during the pqst two days had continued and the employers had decided to take action."’

“This morning there was no sign of an improvement on the waterfront,” said Mr Bennett. “The employers decided that if the workers were not prepared to resume the normal present rate of working at 1 o’clock they should be warned and, if there was still no improvement, discharged. “As this definitely organised go-slow policy continued on a number of vessels, the men were dismissed. On the Doric Star 152 men were discharged, on the Piakd 125, on the Rangitata 101, and on the Maunganui 94. Other vessels continued working. “The latest development took place at 8 p.m. when 16 men working on the Waipahi were discharged for going slow."

The loading of the Piako had been hurried on to relieve congestion at the freezing works. She had been specially diverted to Wellington some days ahead of schedule for this purpose, to prevent the freezing works being obliged to plose down. The Maunganui had not yet completed discharge, of her Australian cargo. She had on board 1900 cases of milk for transhipment at Wellington to the Dutch motor ship Maetsuycker, due in port on Sunday; but as the Maunganui was due to sail at 5 o’clock this evening, unless the men resumed work it would be necessary to parry this cargo over without unloading it. She had also 250 tons of cargo to load for Australia. “The go-slow movement on the Wellington waterfront has been one of the most serious in the history of the port,” Mr Bennett continued. “As an example, these specific figures for the loading cf the Piako in the past two days show that she was being loaded at less than half the usual rate.” Ho then quoted the following figures for the Piako’s worthing in two days:— Thursday’s Loading. Five gangs, comprising 106 men, loaded 16i trucks, .containing 7425 carcases, in 12 hours. Each man handled 70 freight carcases in the 12 horn’s. Wharfmep received £1 17s 4d, shipmen £2 3s 4d, for the 12 hours worked. Five gangs of 105 men in all. plus capstan man, received £217 5s for handling the 7425 capeqses. Cost a freight carcqse: 7d. Yesterday's Loading. Four gangs, of 85 men in all, loaded 1512 carcases in four hours. Each man handled 18 freight carcases in four hours. Wharfmen received 10s Bd, shipmen 12s Bd, for the four hours worked: total with capstan man, £5O 12s Bd. Cost a freight carcase: Bd. He emphasised that this was less than half the reasonable and efficient rate of loading. The Doric Star’s figures worked out on a similar basis. She was loading chilled beef, and between 8 a.m. and noon yesterday. 52 men loaded 321 quarters of chilled beef into the vessel. Because of this extraordinarily slow rate of loading, a large quantity of chilled beef was left o)i the wharf when the men were discharged. At the rate at which they were working it would have been impossible to load it all into the vessel by 5 p.m. on Saturday. As this class of cargo could not be returned to the freezing works, every effort was being made by the shipowners to load with whatever labour was procurable. The nature of chilled beef was such that speedy loading was imperative. Beef delayed in loading was definitely affected in condition on removal from the vessel at Smithfield, where it would be adversely compared with the best produce of South America, the principal competitor in this trade. The South American shippers had. in addition to the advantage cf being 10 days steaming nearer England, the labour facilities for loading 1209 quarters in the forenoon, which would take two gangs 12 hours on the Wellington waterfront.

Moreover, at present there was considerable congestion at New Zealand freezing works, and loadings were being expedited as much as possible to relieve freezing works, which would otherwise be obliged to close down. The unprecedented spell of dry weather had resulted in a rush on the freezing works throughout the country. Ships were being diverted as much as 500 miles to hurry on the loading. The

Doric Star was due to load 16,000 .cases of apples qt Port Chalmers on Monday, storage space in that port being heavily taxed at present. However, she would now be delayed at least three days. GO SLOW CONTINUES GANGS ENGAGED ONLY TO BE .DISCHARGED. WORK ON SHIPS SUSPENDED. (By Te^ecraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Replacing nearly five hundred men dismissed yesterday op the ground of go-slow work, the Waterside Labour Bureau at 8 a.m. put out disks for three gangs for th.e Maunganui, two for the Piako, two for the- Doric Star and three for the Rangitata and the men were engaged. At 9.20 a.m. one gang on the Doric Star was discharged for going slow and ten minutes later the remaining gang was dismissed. At 9.35 a.m. two gangs on the Piako ware discharged and at 9.55 a.m. two gangs on the Rangitata. The gangs on the Maunganui wer.e discharged about 10.30 a.m. Since the hours of epgagernent of labour end af 10 a.m. no more men could be taken on. A number of nonunionists were available at 8 a.m. ap.d commenced to accept engagement, but were dissuaded by union representatives and walked away from the engagement stand. The Bureau subsequently was unable to engage any non-union labour. There are about 1130 men ,on the register of the Bureau, as distinct from the Harbour Board, and today’s developments went close to exhausting the number of men available. Usually there are from 150 to 180 men cn sick leave and the position is further complicated by the fact of races at Trentham today. Only 240 men were available at 8 a.m. and of these 78 were required to man the inter-island ferries, which have been working without interruption, leaving roughly 160 men for the four overseas boats mentioned. Other boats required labour but could not be manned. The Harbour Board perman- I ent, hands are working on the wharf alongside the Maunganui, handling discharged cargo. Union officials emphatically refuted a suggestion that tlie trouble was due to resentment at the remarks of the Minister cf Labour al the recent waterside conference. “Ths Minister’s remarks had absolutely nothing to do with it," said one of the officials, “and the statement to that effect is quite incorrect.” HOLD-UPS MUST STOP DECLARATION BY MINISTER OF LABOUR. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON. This Day. In the course of a lengthy statement, the Minister of Labour (Mr Webb) said it was difficult for him to ascertain what had happened in Wellington, but (he Government was compelled, under the circumstances; to take a serious view cf the present situation and was determined that these hold-ups should step. MEN FROM MASTERTON

LOADING OF CHILLED BEEF

It is understood that, following a request for assistance, about 20 men from Masterton proceeded to Wellington this morning to assist in the loading of a shipment of chilled beef consigned overseas from Messrs. Thomas Borthwick & Sons’ works. As the chilled beef is perishable, it is imperative that it should be handled expeditiously. The men, , it is understood, proceeded to Wellington’by car.