WORK ON THE WHAEVES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20930, 21 July 1931, Page 10

WORK ON THE WHAEVES.

MOVE FOR RATIONING. ATTITUDE OF EMPLOYERS. The action of some waterside unionists in urging that work on the wharves should be rationed so that a more even distribution of labour may be secured, was discussed by a shipping company representative yesterday. Slack trade on the Auckland waterfront is at the bottom of the movement. Efforts to change the system of engaging labour have recently been revived, one suggestion being that a roster should be compiled, so that each man would obtain an equal share of work, while another proposal is that no man should be engaged for a period longer than eight hours. Still another proposal is that fresh labour should be invited for each ship as it arrives.

"Naturally, the shipping companies engage the men who will So the job best," said the company representative. "Some of the men work only for certain companies. I know our foreman usually has the same men. Again, labour be engaged according to the class of cargo. Obviously, we are going to engage the men who stick to iis. In good times we do not see much of the agitating element. They go elsewhere. But when bad times come they flock back to the waterfront, and apparently want us to treat them equally with the men who have remained on the wharves "Can you wonder that the shipping companies prefer to engage men who will give a fair return for their pay, when that pay varies from 2s 4d to 3s Id an hour, according to the class of cargo ? If you wanted a carpenter you would not take the first man the union offered. You would make inquiries to ascertain which was the man most likely to give satisfaction. So it is with the engaging of waterside labour. Emphatically we do not want a roster system, which would mean that we would have to take anyone in trousers." The viewpoint thus expressed was endorsed by other employers from whom inquiries were made. Xne Northern Steamship Company, Limited, however, because of its continuity of shipping, works a slightly different system. It has its regular staff of waterside workers, who urp paid a weekly wage, and unionist labour is recruited when the volume of work makes this necessary.