HARBOUR BOARD

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 233, 26 June 1920, Page 12

HARBOUR BOARD

f;i /MONTiIXr MEETING. ,| : , K.''; ■;".';'■': The .monthly.r:ii)eetin[f of the Harbour p.. ' -■■:. Board,.was. heldi'lnst evening.. , Mr. J. ',;■■■'. ; .■■.- ''" G. : Harkness presided,,; and ihere, were !:..,..:•'vpresent:'. Messrs.'- M. 'Cohen,- A. D. |;': :.: M*l«od, i. G. Cobbe, J, W. M'Ewan. M. ;-s:,-;• |-. W. Welch,- K, G. -Sinelaii-, C.: 11. Chap- !;.-": .!. man,. C-E.-.-Daniell,: G, M. 'furrell, and [;.:■: '-/'..8. A. "WrightV'M'l';: -'■ : -',".:. - f.i.,-..-..':'■-.?, The.'finar.cinl -statement.showed' current credit,balance, 178./; , 10d.-; i'", ,'V; imprest,account'credit balnnce: i'SBGO Ifis.- ! i,,'v : ';.,1d. : ; and, on ftxed' deposit, l The &'<:!:■:' '■amounts-passed,,'f»r.'ipn.yment wero claims progress pay- (;•■'■■ j'.:. 'nients, on contracts; \£3sG- .ss.■'ld.: and :. ,:, ' 'salaries'for Jun<v .£1578 16s. 9d.— ■& total J,;.-' v/of; 14a. 'stl; .. :;;;.,'.. '■'■ \ j;\ ; ; a -';:./, v Operations at Mingahab. •]•.'■ . iry-.-'^-^A: report was received from the eieeu-, .'..■--''.tive of ■; tho Mangaliao Hydro-Electrio ;:.'. ■•■ Power League, .in, which it was stated that r •' ' .'•'■ ft - decided- improvement ■ had taken placo ;..,' -; atj the-.w(irks,'--.Tliero were now 'apprpxi- ,,-,,. ,-mately 12fl menv.employed; tl;e men ap- :•;:■* pea-red - satisfied ; witb' .their wages -and I[.■ .- and good Money-' v-as being ;», - : ..made., ; The accommodation had been ;,.: ..greatly, improved.:. The cookhouse had' j- {been enlarged;,and a.cooker installed. [-;■'.- ( ;', Generally speaking,, ihe engiiiper-in-charge ;,;:'. t-was .doing.-hisvutmost'.to.make the men ■..'■'.,.■ -,:■••'.comfortable: The work was-Leing jmshed S ... '"forward,:.arid -the ■ piercing of the tun- '-., ' i' e l, which, would be.about a nilo long, *'? "'/'..would begin within abiftit two'months. t- .!!-'- ,Mr;'"Wrighi; ; said '.that.'.-wln-a-'. he-last f.- ): 'f'.visited thel-works'-'!he;-'.was''-struck with p : - i ■ , sthe .'improvement- in the conditions, for f'.'.i'Jthe- workers. There.'was a cood deal }[■; fo-be don*.' nnd estimate j*,', .-•of.' the: work." being '.completed in four ?,..; "years-could ' hardly, be realised. .'-The - [:,. ; Tpieroingof the-tunnera'onewas a 6tufV'.'j However, the department ■■ fr'-./'i ; determined'to push it on,' -, >!. ',-"".Mr. Dahiell siioke,,in uppreciiiHnn ofi i-.','.': i lqagiie'c work.--which'he, thought'wiis !;. , edu'catiy».■';■;■■

■C-i; :.'"'..Work-'of the Board's Staff. j:'■'!■■ Mr. Cbnpmnn asked if the chairman's s, : ■ : attention hud been called, to/tho attack ; made on the board's staff by Mr. Miti; ; ; chell, M.E.. as-- to the loss :of. efficiency. '■': .'■; He quoted the'statements made by Mr. '..;;. ;■ Mitchell in : the Press with : respect to' ■■■•..•' '.' the "fro-slow" policy of the workers on • .; tlie ,wharf. • \Ee thought Mr. Mitchell [. •, ,■. did not know what ho ' was talking t- .jlwut. 'He also thought it was neces-. ; ;: ..saryjfor the board to'defend its staff, for ■' ; Mr. Mitchell, had made charges of dis- !,•'.; •■--•'.honesty.; against one of the. best ctaffs ; 'V,. in the country. . ' , ,•,'..' V.; Mr. Cohen said that Mr. Mitchell's re--marks did not apply'to. the permanent ',staff, but to the casual employees. . :• -f. The chairman 6tated that the figures ' ■ ~-*. osed by.Mr. Mitchell were the figures ■ \ ;:--..authorised-by. the board to be given to .-.'■ the Press, and referred to' tho casual workers only. • They- were not jesponeible for the deductions drawn by Mr. ■'./; . Mitchell from the figures. 1... ' "■■/'■■' Mr. Chapman pointed out that Mr. ! ;' • .:. Mitchell.; had .overlooked the congestion in the sheds which had hampered economical working. He thought the board ;; .should let its staff :kriow that it was ■-•satisfied with their work. - The chairman said that in 1915' they , : had not the storago that they had now. - '.The increase was not occasioned by ; the ■ goods in transit, but by the storage of ■wool, etc., which did not require to bo 'handled. If Mr.' Chapman's contention were ■ correct, they must have handled more cow, but the truth was that they had handled, less. There had been soma congestion, but not sufficient to account for this shrinkage. Mr'. Mitchell's deductions were his own, but the actual ; figures quoted b.v him were correct.. ■ • 1 Mr. Danioll said that;he was satisfied that less work was being dono. Mr. M'Ewari wanted to know, if it could bo proved that the casual workers had been going slow, whether if. could not also be proved that the members of the permnneht staff, were - doing less • .-.work..-. ■■!■'. i. ■•'•.'• .-■-The matter then drooped, and the board went into committee.