WHARF PAY OFFICES.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 193, 13 August 1920, Page 2

WHARF PAY OFFICES.

CENTRAL SCHEME ADOPTED.

The queues of waterside workers usually to be seen on the various wharves on Friday morning were not to be seen to-day, and one who inquired the reason of their absence was directed to the watersiders' rest room. Here is to be found the office of the "Port of Auckland Shipping and Stevedores' Association (Incorporated)," where four queues, totalling approximately a thousand men. were, receiving their wages. This central office is newly-completed, and is in use for tbc first time to-day.

The central scheme of distribution has been in use in Wellington for some time, and all the shippir.gr and stevedoring companies who engage casual labour on the Auckland waterfront are now joined together in it. The practice hitherto followed, hy whitfh each man draws his week's wages front the wharf office of the shipping eompajny employing him has been found cumbersome, more especially when a man has been employed by several .inns during the week. It was then nei essary for him to waste a deal of time at the different pay-windows, aud for him to collect, his wages in various small sums. The new system abolishes that, by eansing all money to be paid into the one office, where it can be quickly and efficiently distributed. The wstcrsiders' reist room was judged to be the most suitable centre for distribution, and a Ion;; counter, with payboxes at intervals, has been erected against the seaward, wall. The men line up in alphabetical queues between the hours ul II and 1 for their pay; after noon, when the ru:-.h has slackened, one wicket is kept op'jn for stragglers. A complete list of the union members is kept there- there are nineteen Smiths among the twelve hundred, who are known, not by initials, but as "Smith one," -Smith three." "Smith fourteen," —and the likelihood of mistake's occurring is small. It is estimated that some £5000 would pass through th'j wickets this morning, but the average disbursements are expected to he considerably larger..