The Waikato Times WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1939 MOST EXPENSIVE IN THE WORLD

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20737, 22 February 1939, Page 6

The Waikato Times WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1939 MOST EXPENSIVE IN THE WORLD

“Given the facilities, 1 am convinced that New Zealand workers can pioduce goods, no matter how difficult or intricate, equal to any m the world, said the Hon. D. G. Sullivan alter inspecting factories at Auckland, At the same time an officer of a German shipping line " as Effing an interviewer that figures on the books of his company showed that cargo handling at the ports of New Zealand was the most expensive in the world. Both were right, and the striking contrast in results should stimulate inquiry into the reasons why the sci vice.-, given by two sections of New Zealanders can be the most efficient and the most inefficient in the world.

Like his predecessor, the Hon. P. C. Webb admitted the need for a comprehensive inquiry into the exorbitant cost of handling cargo at New Zealand ports. Mr Webb went further and promised that an inquiry would be held, but time is passing and there is no sign of action being taken. New Zealanders have proved their ability to compete with the workers of any other country, “given the facilities,” and yet in this one industry, in both costs and efficiency, they provide a very unfavourable comparison. Is it that the waterside workers have not been “given the facilities,” or is the manual service not up to standard ? Even allowing for the higher standard of living and the higher wages paid, there is still a serious lag somewhere on the waterfront.

The possibility of a further increase in freight rates was mentioned by the representative of the German shipping line simply because of the high and growing cost of handling cargo. Prompt action is required to prevent that increase being imposed as an additional burden on the trading community and eventually on the general public. The cost of living is still rising rapidly all over the country and will continue to rise until everyone in the community gives a return in service commensurate with the higher wages paid and the additional privileges granted. Here on the waterfront is an instance of inefficiency that could be removed in time to prevent a further advance in costs, and it is to be hoped the Minister will make his promised inquiry without delay.

Probably Mr Webb hoped that his announcement that an inquiry was warranted would lead to an overhaul of conditions at the ports, but, according to the German shipping representative, the position is going from bad to worse. The shipping companies had hoped for an improvement and to be able to avoid increasing freight rates, but New Zealand cannot hope to continue to enjoy freight rates comparable with those extended to other countries while its cargo handling costs are the highest in the world. It should be a comparatively simple matter to arrive at the reason for the inefficiency. Plenty of figures are available, and the port facilities may be compared with those in other countries. The Government owes it to the public to insist on reasonable efficiency in one of the most important key industries.