WHAT ARE THE FACTS?

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 24, 28 July 1943, Page 4

WHAT ARE THE FACTS?

The view has' been expressed in some quarters that public criticism of the system of work now operating on the waterfront amounts to an effort to antagonise and harry those engaged in the industry. Such a view disregards completely the fact that the public, who must ultimately meet the cost of waterfront operations, have a right to the fullest information that can be made available about the conditions of work, the results that have been achieved under Commission control, and the costs involved. Much information on these points is still lacking, and members of the Opposition were quite justified yesterday in again bringing the question to public notice. It is no answer to the criticism offered for the Minister of , Labour (Mr. Webb) to assert, as he did last night, that there is no system in the world that compares with the system of waterside management and control in New Zealand. In the absence of facts and figures, how can such a general statement be tested? In his contribution to the debate, the Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) quoted figures with the object of showing that under the new system there had been an improvement in the rate of handling cargo, but as against this the statement was recently made by others closely connected with the -industry that there are serious defects in the system which have militated against any improvement, and that the methods of calculation do not produce figures that are strictly comparable. Recently, the Minister of Labour said that, owing to the changed conditions, it was not possible to arrive at any exact comparison of results under the new system with costs under the old system. In reply to an interjection by Mr. Poison, Mr. Fraser said that if his statements were refuted a proper examination of the position (would be made. The need for such an examination is clear. "It has been claimed that there has, under Commission control, been an improvement in the turn-round of overseas ships. This is not denied; neither can it be denied that this has been achieved in great part as the result of cutting out smaller ports and round-the-clock operations involving a substantial increase in costs. Statements have also been made that skilled tradesmen have been attracted to the waterfront by the extra monetary rewards that can be obtained there. If j this is so, what has been the e^ect on other industries? These are points on which the public are entitled to the fullest facts, for only on the facts can a reasoned judgment be formed. Before the public can be expected to be satisfied that the Commission system has resulted in an improvement in waterside work, at a cost which is not excessive, much more information is necessary than has so far been given.