LABOUR TROUBLES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 21 April 1925, Page 4

LABOUR TROUBLES.

(To the Editor)

Sir,—l really cannot understand the present stand of a lot of the waterside workers in this country. • if a person wants to get an idea of the pin-prick-ing going on, let hint go to tne New Plymouth wharf and watch the work going on—or, rather, not gomg on. Instead of 90 trucKS a day going in, about 65 is nearer the mark. The other day a rake of 25 trucks' of meat had to be railed back to Waitara, and overtime at the rate of 8s an hour had to be paid for putting it back into the wotks again. Then take the s.s. Gal'ic tor instance. blie has taken days more time, to load than she ought, which again means a big loss to somebody. There is only one man going to suffer in the end. ‘and that is the farmer. It is quite certain Borthwicks are not running their works for fun, and any loss must in the end be passed on to the fanners, as they (Borthwicks) will have to pay T higher freight, etc. It is hard to understand tne New Plymouth position. If the men are asking for higher wages, either get them or leave the work alone. But if they work, let them work. It already must mean a loss of a lot of money to workers, and many ships that * might have come to Taranaki are going to other ports. I know of one big steamer that was coming, but was diverted because the owners would not send her except their agent gave his personal undertaking that she would not be held up more than three days in the stream, and in the present position he could not do it. I believe, owing to so many delays, that for the future on some cargo there will be an increased freight of five shi’lings —slag, for instance. Of course all the fault is not with the workers. The trade of the port has grown much faster than was thought possible. It was thought the Newton King wharf was going to solve the problem for years, but everv day shows fresh trade coming; therefore it should appeal to the men—the more ships coming the more regular the work. If the worker would only look ahead, he could see how these labour troubles hit back. Take coal, for instance: Owing in a gieat measure to the miners’ strike, people looked round for other ways. _ Look at the oi'. burners in the AYellington-Lyttelton service. Since they have been installed there has been very little trouble; but, on the other hand, look what it meant to the West Coast. Thousands of tons of coal, used, and transport of same must have meant many pounds in wages. Now a great deal of that goes clean out of New Zealand for oil, freight, etc. And wherever possible people are installing either oil engines or electric power. Does it ever strike the wage-workers what the last power is going to do. in the very near future? To a very Targe extent it is going to displace coal. The North Island will soon be a network of wires, displacing the oil engine in the same way as oil drove out the steam boiler to a great extent; and instead of miners, truckers, freight carriers, etc., n few engineers and linesmen can displace hundreds of men. I find that wherever an electric motor is installed, or light, it is never replaced with either oil or. coal. The same trouble, or something like it, must apply to Australia. Newcastle seems to have lost the. Chile coal trade owing to strikes, etc., and a fairy large trade, too, going to Europe. Then take, the loss of a x steamer recently towed to Holland —13,000 miles —a powerful tug having to be sent for her; yet it was cheaper than having her repaired in Australia. As regards New Zealand, there are many fresh people coming in. and work wil l have ! to lie found for them. But it must be reproduction : there is very little now country coming in and a lot that is in wo’dd be better out and carrying hush. And. seeing that we have no factories, everything for export must come from the land. But how long is a country like this going to stand no to this — 40 per cent, producing and GO per cent, spending? One curious thing is that money for town investment is quite easv to cet; yet for farming purposes both scarce dear. Yet where are the, towns cnniincr in if the country goes hack ? Trusting you will pardon this long Tetter. —I am, etc.. OLD FARMER.