CARGO HANDLING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 July 1940, Page 5

CARGO HANDLING

NEW SYSTEM DEFENDED BY MINISTER DISCUSSION IN HOUSE. SOME MEMBERS CRITICAL. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Claiming that the best men available had been appointed to the Waterfront Control Commission, the Minister of Labour, Mr -Webb, said in the House of Representatives last night that all members would agree later that the scheme was a success. Mr Jull (Opposition, Waipawa), pointed out, in the debate on the Labour Department’s estimates, in which £14,550 is provided for the scheme, that producers and importers were not represented on the commission. The Minister said earlier controllers had been paid more than the Government’s controllers. An Opposition member: “By whom?” The Minister: “The shipping companies. I am not going to apologise, for the appointments and I want to tell members it. would be better for them to glance over past conditions. For the last 30 years there has been nothing but moaning and grumbling about the control of the waterfront.” An Opposition member: "Not as long as that.” The results since the commission was established were from 30 to 40 per cent better, said the Minister, and more than 220 ships had been worked extended hours. Unless the commission had great powers the scheme would break down. He was convinced that when the scheme was fully operating for a month or two all meipbers would agree that the Government had gone a. long way to solve one of the most difficult problems the country had had to face. Arrangements were now made for the contract system of working at Bluff and Timaru. Mr Jull said the commission had not fixed any rate of pay for the waterside workers between 5 p.m. on Saturday and Monday morning. It was rafferty rules between those periods. The arrangement was that the men should come to an amicable arrangement with the employers for those periods, and the arrangement agreed on was 7s an hour. Opposition voices: What, in wartime?” The Minister had not given sufficient information about the co-operative contract sytem, Mr Jull added. It was a “heads I won, tails you lost,” sort of arrangement, because if there was any surplus over the amount fixed for handling cargo a ton the men were to get it. The Minister: “Who should gel it? “I think it should be known,” said Mr Boswell (Government. Bay of Islands), “that the greater number of; members of the House offer the Minister their heartiest congratulations on the way he is handling the watrfront question, in which, for the first lime for many years, it is possible to see daylight."