Whangarei Ship Delays

Northern Advocate, 1 August 1949, Page 5

Whangarei Ship Delays

Whangarei felt the first repercussions of the abolition of Waterfront Commission control of cargo handling when the collier Kaimiro berthed at Portland at midday on Saturday. When the commission controlled the port of Whangarei, members of the Whangarei Waterside Workers’ Union and affiliated members worked 12 hours a day to turn colliers round. Under the 44-houf week which applies now the men stop work at 5 p.m. on week days and 12 o’clock on Saturday.

The Northern Steamship Co. Ltd’s, m.v. Eanginui arrived this morning, and, being a local ship with general cargo for the town, she was given preference. The president of the Whangarei union (Mr F. Hill) said this morning that, under the old conditions the men would have worked until midnight on Saturday, and, as the Kaimiro is a fast working ship, she would have been cleared tonight. It normally takes 12 hours to turn the Ranginui round with general cargo, so she will be worked today and tomorrow morning. BLOW TO LOCAL UNION By the time the Kaimiro is worked she will already be two days late without allowing for bad weather. Mr Hill said the effects of the reversion to a 44-hour week would become increasingly felt as ships began to queue up in the port. This would happen as soon as the butter began to arrive, unless something was done in the meantime. Mr Hill stated that the abolition of commission control w„as a blow to the local union, which had always been prepared to work long hours to turn a ship round, and had considered it had a good record of cargo handling without major disputes.