WORK ON WHARVES
A DISASTROUS TENDENCY
Moving the adoption of the annual reports at the meeting of the Wellington Harbour Board yesterday, the Chairman (Mr J. G. Darkness) spoke at length, of the labour problem, and a resultant debate was the chief feature of the meeting. In the course of his statement, Mr Harkness said that in 1913-14 the wages (including overtime) averaged 17.91 pence per-hour. In 1919-20, the rate was 28.51 pence. Part of the increasc ■ was duo to extra overtime worked in the latter year, but not all of it. The tonnage handled in 191314 was 1.071 tons per man per hour; in 1919-20, it was .880 tons per man per hour. If the men had worked as well, in 1919-20 as in 1918-14 they would have handled, 1,110,665 tons instead of 93,207 tons; that is, they were short in effort by 197,458 tons. The cost per ton handled was in 191314 16.722 pence, in 1919-20, ,32.38 pence. The basic wage rose from 1/5 per hour in 1913-14 to 2/3 in April, 1920, an increase of 55.82 per cent. In the same time the cost of handling per ton rose by 93.66 per cent- “pioso facts cannot be explained away, said the chairman, “and this rate «f progression means, unless wiser,counsels, prevail, disaster-to all concerned.
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Bibliographic details
Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIV, 22 March 1921, Page 5
Word Count
217WORK ON WHARVES Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIV, 22 March 1921, Page 5
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