Wharf Work Rate Maintained Except At Auckland

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22808, 1 December 1948, Page 3

Wharf Work Rate Maintained Except At Auckland

(P.R.)) WELLINGTON, Dec- 1. “The all-ports’ average rate of work for the loading of overseas vessels has-been maintained during the year but there was a drop in the rate of loading overseas vessels at Auckland,” says the report of the Waterfront Industry Commission for 1947-48 tabled in the House of Representatives yesterday.

The rate of loading butter at Auckland fell from 780 boxes per gang per hour for 1946-47 to 742 boxes per gang per hour for 1947-48, while the rate of loading mutton and lamb fell from 768 carcases in 1940-47 to 729 in 1947-48.

"The all-ports' average rate of discharging overseas vessels increased slightly from 12.15 tons per gang hour in 1946-47 to 12.53 tons per gang hour for 1947-48.

‘'‘This rate cannot be considered satisfactory and there io plenty of room for improvement. The low rate of discharge, however, is not entirely due to the men as there are other factors involved, such as congestion of wharf and railway goods sheds, multiplicity of marks, etc.

“The all-ports’ average rate of handling coastwise cargo for 1947-8 was 13-G tons per gang hour for Union Steam Ship Company vessels and 15.94 tons for other coastal vessels, compared with 13.54 tons and 16 tons respectively for the previous year. Coastal Cargo Handling Decline

"There has been a falling off in the rate of handling coastwise cargo at Auckland during the last three years and at Wellington during the last year. The rate of work at Auckland compares unfavourably with the rates of work cn Union Company vessels at other main ports. ■ “It is gratifying to record a marked improvement in the rate of handling coastwise, cargo at Dunedin where the rate of work on vessels of the Union Steam Ship Company increased from 13.3 tons per net gang hour in 1946-7 to 14.75 tons in 947-48. while the rate for other coastal vessels increased from 15.46 tons to 16.84 tons per net gang hour.

"The commission’s figures for rates of work are calculated according to the times when loading or unloading operations are actually proceeding. The times occupied in removing or replacing hatches, in shunting operations and in weather or other delays are not taken into account.

“Unfortunately, in Auckland, Wellington and to a less extent in Lyttelton there appears to be a tendency for the times so occupied to increase with the result that the amount of work done per paid hour is less in proportion to the work done per net hour than formerly.” 8,412,000 Tons of Cargo

The report says that during the calendar year 1947 a total of 8,412,000 tons of cargo was handled at New Zealand ports, which was 729,000 tons more than for the previous year. “The increase in berthage space and shed accommodation has been insufficient to meet the large increase in cargo handled. The result has been congestion of wharf sheds and overloading of port facilities and railway services.

“The port of Auckland, where the main increases was handled, had in particular been congested and apart from delays through major disputes, the shortage of berthing space was a factor in vessels lying idle in the stream.

“The congestion of wharf and railway goods sheds necessitated the reintroduction of the cargo control emergency regulations in October, 1947. On a number of occasions at railway ports it was impossible to work overtime on discharging jobs due to a shortage of wagons. The Railways Department has ordered additional trucks overseas and as these came to hand the position will improve. Ships Carry Larger Cargoes “Overseas vessels are carrying greater inward cargoes and full export cargoes, and there is a greater tonnage handled for each trip than before the war,” continued the report. “The telescoping of meat has resulted in the saving of freezer space of about 30 per cent, and this has had the effect of greater tonnages of freezer cargo being shipped in each vessel”. While coastal vessels were taking much longer to turn round today they were all handling full cargoes and, compared with 1939, there was a 50 per cent, increase in the average tonnage handled per round trip. This, however, was insufficient to offset the additional time taken in the turn round.

The report says that the multiplicity of marks of cargo discharged is the major cause of shed congestion. The commission had taken steps to deal with this as far as potato shipments were concerned, and the Chamber of Commerce had been asked to reduce the number of marks of standard packages. Discussing disputes which occurred during the year, the report says the percentage of man hours lost through disputes involving stoppages was 1.78 compared with 2.64 per cent, for the previous year. The average of manhours lost during commission control from 1941-48 was .95 compared with .80 per cent, for the four years before commission control.

Of the total of 221,038 man-hours lost during 1947-48, 212,780 man-hours were lost at Auckland.