WATERSIDE WORK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22822, 1 September 1937, Page 14

WATERSIDE WORK

THE BUREAU SYSTEM START AT AUCKLAND OPERATION THIS MORNING I OUTLINE OF THE SCHEME Delayed since the beginning of July for a full agreement to be reached in Wellington, the opening of the Auckland waterfront bureau will take place this morning. Devised to eliminate the old "auction block" method of selecting men for work on the whares, the bureau system is considered to have a considerable advantage over the . employment scheme which concluded, to all intents, last night. Organisation at the bureau office at Central Wharf, under the manager, Captain Marriner Holm, has been ready for some time and members of the staff recently visited Wellington to note the practice in the bureau opened there on August 20. Gangs who have already started work on ships remaining in port to-day will not be under the bureau system until the work is completed. This will affect those on the overseas ships Aws.;. Empire Star, Hertford and Goslar, as well as several coastal vessels. Quiet Period for Start

The usual monthly stopwork meeting of the Waterside Workers' Union will be held from eight o'clock to 10 o'clock this morning and the bureau will not begin operations until ' the meeting has concluded. A. week ago it appeared that the first two days of the bureau's activities would be marked by almost a full list of shipping in the port, but rough weather and other circumstances have spread the arrivals of ships apd the organisation should have two clear days in which to settle down. The first overseas ship to be worked at Auckland under the bureau control will be the liner Rangitane, due from London, via Wellington, at four o'clock this afternoon. One other ship from overseas, the tanker Tornus, will arrive this evening, and several coastal vessels are also expected. Only one overseas steamer, the Port Adelaide, is due td-morrow. With the expected arrival on Friday of six overseas ships—an unusually large number —the bureau will receive its first severe testing, the port should .then be fully occupied. Prospects of the Men

It is expected that a large proportion of the union members will be absorbed to-day after a slack period of about a week. The workers have been divided into two categories. The A grade men will be guaranteed work to the value of not less than £2 10s a week, or, in the event of failure to provide work, they will receive _ that sum. Under present conditions it is thought that chosen men will earn more than £5 a week. Those who are not selected will still have ample opportunity for employment under similar conditions to those ruling in the past. Those under the scheme, however, will have first preference when only a limited amount of labour is required. . On receipt of information from a shipping agent of the number of gangs required for a ship the bureau win select the men from its lists, endeavouring to spread the work. A board, covers the Quav Street side of the bureau office and indicates the, names of vessels, their berths, the time of starting work, and the number of gangs required.