PORT DEVELOPMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20303, 10 July 1929, Page 13

PORT DEVELOPMENT.

WATERSIDE WORKERS' ROOMS

A PERMANENT STRUCTURE.

DECISION OF THE BOARD.

A permanent three-storey building containing waterside workers' waiting-rooms, with quarters on the top floor for the Auckland Harbour Board Employees' Welfare (Tub, is to be erected bv the board on tho (Juay Street breastwork adjoining the Northern Wharf, in place of the iron building now occupied by (he waterside workers. The cost, about 1112,000, is to be provided out of revenue. In the course of a report to the board yesterday, the chairman, Mr. M. 11. W'ynyard, said that so far only temporary accommodation li.nl been provided by (ho board in the way of waterside workers' rooms, union ollices and stevedores' gear sheds. "1 his has no doubt been due to some extent to the fact that the handling CI cargo is not undertaken by the board, and to the belief that its obligations were not the same as in other ports in which the harbour authority controls the handling of cargo," ho continued. "Iu my opinion a policy should be adopted by the board under which accommodation (for which temporary buildings have been erected) for tho use of the board's customers and their employees and gear should be gradually replaced by permanent structures, not necessarily on the sites at present occupied by them; and that cadi year in the annual estimates provision for tho necessary finance for carrying cut such replacements out of revenue should bo made so far as finances permit."

The Welfare Club, which was in a very flourishing condition, deserved every encouragement from tho board. It had been provided with free quarters in tho I'erry Building, but these were not suitable, and it was now proposed to give it. a permanent homo in the building which the board had already decided to erect for the waterside workers. After careful inquiry, lie could sco no better location for this than the site of the present iron building near the Northern Wharf. It was central, liut away from the deep berthage. A three-storey building, with tho two lower floors set apart for the waterside workers, could bo erected for about £12.000. A sum of £7OOO was on this year's estimates for the purposo and tho remainder could be provided next year. \\ itli regard to tho storage of stevedores' plant, the six companies concerned had tho use of four temporary buildings, but these were now quite inadequate and as a result gear was coming to be scattered all over the wharves. The board would soon have to consider provision for bringing all the stevedores together under one roof in pursuance of the policy of replacing temporary buildings out of revenue as funds were available. On the recommendation of the Works Committee and the board-in-committce, the report was adopted and it was resolved that tlie board's architects should lie instructed to prepare the plans for tho building.