TERMS OF SETTLEMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 59, 10 March 1921, Page 5

TERMS OF SETTLEMENT.

| (From Onr Special Correspondent.) ■ WELLIXGTOX, March 9. ! Though at the time of writing there is l no official announcement of the settlement of the waterside dispute, there are plenty of indications that the trouble has passed the acute stage and that the employers have got their way. The representatives of the parties were in conI ference for several hours yesterday with I the Prime Minister, who previously had ! indicated his readiness to assume the I role of conciliator and they are closeted with him again to-day. It is understood : that the general principles insisted upon ■by the shipowners have been accepted by the representatives of the men and that. on the other hand, several minor concessions have been made to the men which will somewhat improve their conditions of employment. The parties had practically reached this stage on Saturday, hut the necessity of communicating with the various branches of the Waterside Federation entailed some delay. THE FUTURE. The undertaking of the watersiders to abandon tiic "go slow policy and to discontinue pin-pricking tactics will be re corded in the most imprfasivo manner j possible; but its observance still will i remain merely a moral obligation on the part of the individual, and some of the employers have gTave doubts as to its fulfilling its purpose. One of them stated to-day that his experience during the war had inclined him very strongh - towards State control of the wharves. The present system, he said, had proved enormously costly as well as ineffective, and gave owners and shippers no assurance for even the immediate future. The average State management might not be as good as the ideal private management but at least it would save the country from the repeated interruptions of traffic that were "playing the very dickens with its trade. CONTROL OF THE WHARVES. In the course of his annual report, presented at the meeting of the Xapier Harbour Board the chairman I Mr. A. E. •lull) stated that the question of the proposed amalgamation of watersiders with the shipping companies for the control of all waterside labour throughout the Dominion was being considered by those concerned, and it was to be hoped that' the Harbours Association would carefully watch the proposals. He was more than ever convinced that the best solution of the troubles on the waterfront would be found to he the suggestion I brought forward by this Board and the Wellington Board, for the harbour board-, to be given legislative powers to supply all labour on the water front. There was now a hold-up of the greater part of the shipping of the Dominion because of the differtnces between the shipowners and water~ide workers, showing how utterly futile it would be to expect greater harmony by the proposed amalgamation pf those two interests. "The trade of the whole Dominion." Mr. .lull added, '"is being made to suffer from a perpetuation or the present ait-.haic method of dealing with the employment of waterside workers. Surely |the proposals of the harbour boards. I who are the natural bodies to protect I the general public, are worthy of the eonr-ideration of the Oovernmeni. Too much attention is paid to the claims of 'the l.elligprent parties and not sufficient :to the opinion of men who are elected ,by the people to look after the general i interests. The proposal of the board, as - agreed to by the conference, in brie ft is a for hoards to load and discharge all vesi sels, employ permanent labour with lived ? wage and superannuation benefits, and do r away as far as possible with casual . labour. » I 1 I STILL IN THE STREAM. r ! Vessels affected by the dispute re--1 maining in the stream are the Wanaka. ' Xorthern Chief (schooner). Dartford ' i barque). Treglisson, Langton Hall. Z Tofua, Talune. Omana. Opihi. Wsimare. ■ Cecilia Sudden i=choor.er). and the . ' Mararoa. . = -