WATERFRONT WORK

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 78, 5 July 1943, Page 3

WATERFRONT WORK

CO-OPERATIVE CONTRACT SYSTEM I DEFENDED BY MINISTER Wellington, July 3. ! The claim that there had been an allj round improvement in work on the waterfront was made by the Minister of Labour. Mr Webb, in a statement. He said overseas vessels were being turned round in less than half the time taken before the war. This appreciable result was due to speedier working under the co-operative contracting system, shift work and reduction in the number of ports of call. “No reliable figures aye available as to the cost of work before the introduction of the co-operative contracting system,” said the Minister, “but from the figures obtainable it is estimated that work has increased by 25 per cent, under contract. It is obvious, of course, that the higher rates for night shift work, Sunday and holiday work, have added to working costs, but no one can form a reasoned judgment on comparative costs till the shipping companies i and stevedores disclose the full facts |of the old system. On the other hand, ■ the reduction in ships’ overhead costs I by a quicker turn-about must represent i a substantial saving. • “It is to be hoped that the public | have not tried to form a reasoned judg- ; ment on the nonsense written about the j earnings of union waterside workers, j Many loose statement have been made by critics with a view to placing waterj side workers among the ‘new rich.’ j Here are a few faefs on the subject. : There fire over 3900 union waterside ! workers at the five main ports. Their | average earnings last financial year j were £445, Auckland being highest j with £4BB and Port Chalmers lowest j with £256. There were 668 men employed at the five secondary ports, and | their average wages were £323. i “Some people may continue to exer--1 cise the bad habit of making recriminations against the waterside workers because it suits them to do so, but the plain fact is simply that a great improvement has been made in loading and discharging cargo. Moreover, the extra cost of achieving such improvement has not resulted in the average earnings of watersiders being raised to ! fortunes. ! “While it is perfectly clear that there j has been a big improvement in waterj side work since the Commission took control, there is room for still further improvement, and I appeal to waterside ' workers to put forward their very best ’ effort in order to obtain the maximum j result.” The Minister said that for security i reasons the report of the Waterfront , Control Commission was discontinued, ; and for the same reason there were difi Acuities in the way of his making pubi lie certain figures concerning the Comi mission’s operations. An open invitai lion was extended to editors and any I responsible citizen, however, to inspect ! the records of the Commission at its i office. “If advantage is taken of this ; invitation,” said the Minister, “I am i convinced adequate proof will be ob- : tained as to the claims I have made in i connection with waterfront work.”