WORK ON THE WATERFRONT

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 33, 8 August 1921, Page 7

WORK ON THE WATERFRONT

NOT NEARLY ENOUGH FOR MEN .' WAITING.

The labour forettrsn on the wharf who looks down on*a hundred faces'with the realisation that he can employ only twenty or.thirty-of the men offering must be hard heartod indeed if he. is not moved to some measure of .pity. ' It is not his fault, of course, that work is alack and he cannot " make" jobs enough to go-round. Before 8 o'clock this morning there were probably a thousand men waiting'in the cold anxious 'to discover" whether they would-be among the chosen few. There was » look of anxiety in many faces. v and an eagerness to ''catch the eye" 'of the foreman was apparent. As it was many men were disappointed, but they will probably look to the morrow, or the day after, or the day after that> to make amends.. Many men, so a Post representative was informed to-day, have tired ot waiting for " to-morrow." They have left the waterfront, disillusioned, perhaps. They have sought better fortune elsewhere.

The shipning companies' figures, showing the number of Inen employed by them week by weeii, make interesting reading. They show, first of all and most important of all, a gradual decline in the amount df work offering. This, of course, is duo .to a decided falling-off in shipping activities. During the forty-eight weeks ended 6th July the shipping companies employed on 'an average 1439 men per week. Here afe the figures for the subsequent weeks: 13th July, 1370; 20th Ju1y,"1233; 27th July, 1216; 3rd August, 117. Last week's figures are over 300 below the average for the twentyoight weeks already quoted. These figures do not include the labour engaged by the Harbour Board, whose work is divided among 350 men.

There i«\no indication that the position on the waterfront is likely to improve soon. ' ' • '