HOOKS, OR NO HOOKS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1035, 26 January 1911, Page 6

HOOKS, OR NO HOOKS.

.- ; THE CEMENT' CAEGO AGAIN. : . Once. again: the. old' trouble' of' "hooks or. no hooks'' cropped up oil the Wellington wharves '.yesterday;. ; The -Union ' Comp.any.'s steamer .."Waiiaka arrived from Liniestono Jslahd' on Sunday evening with a cargo of .some [400 tons of' cement- to Be: discharged at',this port. Owing to Monday, being : .a.;, holiday,- no work- . wasdone aboard tile vessel, arid oil' Tuesday . a shortage of meii pri the,' wiaryes • was responsible for another 'delay' in discharging ■ her,-" A further delay! was., caus'ed yesterday, morning by the; stevedores refusing to work the vessel unless they were allowed tile- 'use-'of hooks iii I. handling the.bags of cement." It .appears that when men ; were. tyjing, engaged; to work the various vessels in-port and. tho ■"Wanaka's name;was called, no offers for employment were forthcoming, 'and "coh"eeqiimtly no work' Was done on-the ves•;£cl -"during tlie^nipming./.later in* the ■day. an. agreement '.was comp-to by the secretary,. of tho., Wellington ! Waterside Workers'.-Union (Mr. -1': Smith) and representatives of the' Union Convpany,!by which., the-meu were allowed,! to', .use hooks, and-.the '.work of'unloading- .was , .'commenced 'at ajwnt 3 p.nr. ' •■.'■' .. •-.-.- ■' t , ,. In-conversation with-Mr.'T. Smith; a reporter, .was .told, that there, -was no lios-',-'.file-demonstration agajnst-the vessel by. the members of his .union.' The ' only .thin? that happened',-iras a disinclination on the :part of -the incn to -handle the cargo: without ■ the* necessary hooks, and in consequence, they did not seek e'mploy-,-ment-on;her., - "You khow.that'it is ve-ry' jliard '-work Betting at.v thVse bags'.'of 'oement considering ithe.. way.in .-'which ■ ttiey\«re_ placed in,the 'ship's hold," said Mr. I Smith... ."They are not-, stowed" like ; ordinary cargo, but ijust shot into'-the nold<an.v, way at:all; arid.if the ears of. the are buried underneath there is absolutely nothing..to catch hold,of. arid in my. opinio'ii hooks 'are : essential." ... ■'..

A,susgcstion:;that'.ears should be, on both «nds. drew forth: the. remark that, it would help rsatters a.-Kreat deal. An- , . other'.suggestion- as to, tile advisability of the irieh 'using-the ordinary bag hooks., .instead, of ,the usjual '!doe hooks,". , and' thus. minimise, .the. darter .of Tipp'insr the', basrs and making large' holes in them,, met ..with.,,favourable- comment.,. If. the bag -hooks 'are , 'to. bo;.usMl." Mr.' Smith simresM'-tlvat-- they .snould be.'supplied ■by tlie:.Union"CompanyJirtho same manner as by'.other: companies' trading hero, (or he. contended that, seeing that tho .Wanaka -only,'.called her,c'abput : oncp a ; moritli.Vthe' cxnciiso incurred ■: by.the".men -.in. purchasing "otW.hwks tlian tho ones in. universal for this steamer,''would -not. be- fair. ; However, after the consultation referred to previously;, fhe, men turrwl toand used all reasonable care iii handling the, ; car.?o. ;■,-,,"•■• ' "