GO-SLOW POLICY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 234, 2 October 1937, Page 11

GO-SLOW POLICY.

WATERSIDE WORKERS. "WORST IN THE WORLD." HANDLING costs increase. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Friday. Waterfront costs and conditions in New Zealand were criticised by Mr. W. J. Poison (National, Stratford) when speaking in the Budget debate in the House of Representatives to-day. He said that he would not mind the costs, being the highest in the world if the service were also the best, but it had been described by shipmasters and others competent to judge as the worst in the world. In various ports of the Dominion they frequently had' hold-ups and trouble approaching strikes. They knew the cost of such trouble and that the attitude of the waterside workers in regard to international questions was likely to be a serious embarrassment to the Dominion in connection with primary produce. If markets were to suffer because of the attitude adopted it was a little over the odds, said Mr. Poison. The primary producers had to meet world competition, and they could get only such value as remained in their produce after the service had been paid for.

Mr. Poison spoke of the serious effect oil prices for fruit which resulted sometimes from stop-work meetings on the waterfront. He quoted the editor of an Australian live stock journal that it was such slow going at Auckland on one occasion that one of the winchmen read his paper between slings. The cost of handling frozen meat had increased at one of the main ports since 1033 by no lee« than 66 2-3 per cent, which was far and above any increase that might have been expected from wage increases. Go-Slow Tactics. Go-slow tactics were often resorted to, and difficulty was experienced with labour because non-union men were no longer available and there was a restriction on the membership of many waterside unions. As a result union men often offered themselves for replacement juat when it suited them, and that led to difficulty and friction on the waterfront. In one case work had been retarded by the absence of a man and the other members of the gang refusing to work without him.

In connection with the recent development of the chilled beef industry, which had great potentialities, pains had been taken to explain to the waterside workers that the meat must be handled rapidly and with extreme care, yet there had been the most lackadaisical methods in its loading, with the result that shippers were kept continually on tenterhooks. There were complaints about the gear supplied, and at one port the men walked off on account of a shower of rain and refused to come back although there were only one and a half trucks left to handle. It was necessary in such a case to rail the meat back to a freezing works and freeze it down. The cost of all that had to be borne by the shipper, and o*i top of that the meat was worth a penny per pound less. Costs Higher. "I think the House should realise that this sort of thing has been £oing on in this country," said Mr. Poison. "The •smaller ports have suffered too, sometimes to the same extent as the bigger ports." A great deal of trouble was also experienced in the loading of dairy produce through breakages, particularly ill the case of cheese. The bureau system had been established in an endeavour to improve th« position, but to-day costs were just as high as ever. In fact they were higher.

"It has been suggested by the Government that the farmers of this country and the workers have a common cause, and should co-operate." Mr. Poison concluded. "What can the farmer have in common with a policy of that kind, the least amount of work for the greatest amount of pay, as exemplified on the waterfront ?"