THE WATERFRONT COMMISSION

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23351, 10 June 1941, Page 8

THE WATERFRONT COMMISSION

—— . A PRODUCERS* REPRESENTATIVE SUGGESTED (P A.) NEW PLYMOUTH, June 9. “There is an uneasy feeling abroad that part at least of the trouble we are in with respect to the shipping of our produce has been due to unsatisfactory handling of produce on the waterfront,” said Mr W. A. Sheat, at the South Taranaki annual conference of the Farmers’’Union at Hawera to-day. "There is still too much secrecy surrounding conditions on the waterfront relating to the handling of our produce, while the conditions relating to every other occupation are public property. No one is permitted to know the conditions enjoyed by that select aristocracy of labour, the waterside workers. “There- exists on the waterfrpnt today a condition of dictatorship." continued Mr Sheal. “The Waterfront Commission, consisting at the moment of Mr Roberts and Mr Price, exercises complete control, over the loading of ships. They fix conditions, and no one outside the circle is allowed to know what those conditions are, All we know is that they are sufficiently high to ifavolve a large element of war profiteering. I understßnd_ that a vacancy exists on the commission due ,to the retirement of'the third member, Mr McLeqd, and I suggest that the importance of the business to all producers warrants the appointment of a producers’ representative to that commission." •. '