REPLY TO PREMIER

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22616, 20 April 1948, Page 4

REPLY TO PREMIER

UNION “FACTS NOT ACCURATE” SUPERVISION ISSUE (P.A.) AUCKLAND, April 20. “The Prime Minister has made an attack on the officials of the Auckland branch of the Waterside Workers’ Union based on premises which are not correct in any one instance,” said tha union president, Mr. H. Barnes. “I do not think it is too much to ask that ha publicly withdraw his charges.” Mr. Barnes said the Radnik loaded wool, hides, frozen fish and passengers’ luggage and effects. Mr. Fraser had claimed that the general rate of loading was 27 tons per gang per hour, as against the average rate of 16.35 tons on overseas ships. The Radnik leaded absolutely no general cargo. “Practically No Supervision” The Prime Minister had admitted that hides were loaded at the rate o£ 9.04 tons an hour, against the average of 11 tons, continued Mr. Barnes. Tha Radnik was a first-class ship for loading, and the reason for the slow rata was that there was practically no supervision. “So bad was the situation that the master of the ship complained to our union office,” said Mr. Barnes. “After investigating the position, we found loading being so badly conducted that we advised the agents, the Shaw Savill and Albion Co. that unless the job was supervised we would supervise ourselves and transfer union gangs to the Radnik for a 6 p.m. start. The Yugoslav Gang “This was not a suggestion, as the Prime Minister says, but a statement of intention, and it was successful in, persuading the company to exercise reasonable control. In spite of this the rate of loading was not good. The hides were being loaded in a practically empty hatch and in the square with no long carry back. The average rate of loading in such favourable conditions is about 17 tons per gang per hour. On this ship the rate was 9.04 tons.. I wish to make it quite dear that my criticism of this is solely on the supervision.

“Wool was loaded into one c-f the after-hatches by the Yugoslavs themselves,’’ continued Mr. Barnes. “They did a good job, but the reason is that they had substantially more men in the gang than the 23 men .who f ormally comprise a loading gang. the only cargo loaded that exceeded the average. Mr. Fraser’s other reference to a breach of the commission’s order is equally inaccurate. The fact is that when the union’s walking delegate went to advise the bureau clerk to make the transfer the clerk was on other transfer work and could not be reached until it was too late to make the transfer.”