WATERSIDE WAITERS. TO THE EDITOR.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 60, 8 September 1909, Page 11

WATERSIDE WAITERS. TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, —Dr. Findlay, in his lecture "Casual Labour: Its Waste, .wd Remedy," proposed a remedy for i,ke unemployment, amongst waterside workers—provision by tho State of smdl areas of land at a reasonable price or nominal rental, within easy reach, of the city By this means he hopes to mitiI gate to a' certain extent the evils of our casual competitive system. Dr. Findlay stated clearly at the outset that he did not pretend to know as much' in regard to waterside work as many in the audience. This, could be ea&ily understood, for, no doubt, did he have the advice of many in the hall, he would have proceeded on somewhat different lines, the Dockers' Settlement being a tried experiment with, some in the building. This is considered to be the only solution of a much-vexed problem: The compulsory organisation of the industry by one controlling body, and a provision made for the necessary surplus who fail to make a living wage by establishing other supplementary industries, to be subsidised by the shipping companies, who make a profit by the employment of this surplus; not by throwing the ' burden on the people as he proposes, but by placing the burden on those who I derive the benefit. Sudden demands arise for extra labour, as he says, but it does not necessarily follow that if these demands are not met a great dislocation of trade occurs, because this demand only makes itself felt by all the work being rushed on to tho busiest periods of the day —9 to 11 a.m., 1 to 4 p.m. If a shortage of labour occurn this slight inoonvenionce is met by working an hour or two's overtime or starting a little earlier in the morning. It is the overtime, and the efforts made by the companies to avoid it,- which cause most of the surplus labour to be encouraged, sq as to meeet .the demands of these busy periods. The tendency at present seems to be to whojly sacrifice the worker for the benefit of the shipowners ; to make the worker more ot a convenience by the State helping him to provide himself with a cabbage patch, instead of making each industry, as near as possible, sustain its own of necessary employees. Perhaps it would be news to Dr. Findlay that many of the waterside workers have a small area of land, also that they are paying boom rent for it; that the only thing which prevents them from cultivating this land to the best advantago is the pernicious unorganised system of engaging the necessary labour, compelling the worker to wait about in a cof-fin-shaped storeroom, to suit the varying caprices of employers, instead of [ having stated hours of engagement, as in older/lands'; that the" recent awarcl of the Arbitration Court has made our position worse, having brought numbers of the watersiders into the congested parts of the city; that the hour of morning engagement having been extended to 7.30 a.m., to suit the shipping companies, thus nullifying the bunt-fit:* of the workers' cars from the outside districts ; that in all attempts at building workers' -homes the Government seems to have studied the clerical and high-wage workers as against the casual and low-wage worker. Judging by the rents charged and distance lrom the city, the Government has not even fulfilled the pledges made seven years ago. What faith can the worker nave that the present scheme, even if sound, would, be carried out? It is well agreed amongst all those who have taken any interest in tho men engaged in the waterside industry, that no effort has been made to regulate the supply of labour or to organise the industry under one controlling body, so that the shipping companies could mitigate to some extent the extremely casual nature of the occupation,. by mutual arrangement or co-operation in the employment of their workmen. The present system of unorganised control makes for a wider division than is necessary, and serves to make the casual labour more casual by the encouragement of an unnecessary surplus number of workers to compete during the slack periods. This eai- be shown clearly in the following way : —The men employed at the gangways of vessels to truck cargo away for the Harbour Board are generally dispensed with immediately the ship lias finished discharging. An entirely fresh set of men is engaged by the shipping companies to sling ujj, or do the whaif portion of the reloading. This wider division causes a smaller dole to be apportioned, giving neither an equitable living. Tho Harbour Board also encourages surplus labour by thu employment of its men under the gang system, for the convenience of booking. This gang system lias the effect of inducing men to remain on the wharf on a dole of work, when otherwise they would be seeking work elsewhere. Many new hands being under the impression that their status has been raised somewhat by being classified, tins gang system gives the men an inequitable status as semipermanent employees of the board. It is perfectly unjustifiable for 'any board or company to claim the first right ot service oy classification without payment therefor. This will show Dr. Findluy that the wharf worker is entirely at the mercy of the employers of wharf labour; that the surplus labour co much talked of as being so necessary to the occupation is a great deal over-estimated; that by proper organisation this surplus^ could easily be provided with remunerative work and bo placed on an independent basis. The only thing required is for the Government to make tho shipping companies recognise their responsibilities in this matter, not to shoulder the burden on to the people. No doubt the companies will pass it on in increased charges, but a solution of the problem will nave been arrived at. Immediately they start to face the nvoblem lrom the E roper basis (the wharf itself) they .ill c surprised to find ho'v easy it is to work an extra hour or change a gang. They have done this on occasions to avoid a holiday at other ports, or in times of stress of weather. The community would benefit by the removal of tho school for chronic unemployment. The increased purchasing power and productivity of the workers would amply i repay for any increase in the way of freights, charges, etc. The community would ee.rse to bo under tho obligation to the casual wharf hand, as implied by Dr. Findlay, by making those who.make a convenience of him provide for his waiting time. —l' am, etc., G. G. FARLAND.

I