HARBOUR BOARD METHODS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6996, 9 December 1909, Page 3

HARBOUR BOARD METHODS

! (To the Editor " N.Z. Times.") Sir-There is a serious injustice W« done to the cartage contractors of this drliverv clerk and one or two assistanteth7 head delivery: clerk reccavms *U the "entries" from the firms having SS&nSte. These »trijs k. scrutinise and place on a. c the numbers and marks of the stops Sons are the packages stopped bj the examination), the names of the different firms whose goods are stopped. „__».«. nrvTrl .l It was only necessary on a carter com-. inR for ? S oods to see the storeman jn the shed, who would have his loading 1 done right away by telling a casual worker to B et the stops—i.e., the card with firm's name, number, and marks, and a mate and load him. ~ The man with the stop card would take the number and marks of each case or package he would load on a. piece, of paper! When finished loading- he would proceed to the office, or to one of ■ the assistants (in the case of a three or 4000 tons cargo), and read off the number and marks loaded while the clerk or assistant filled m the duplicate.! the block of which the carter would eurn. Iu the case of big cargoes the neau. delivery would be engaged principally' with the entries, but he would alscy through the day, make out from 50 to 60 dockets, while the first assistant delivery has often filled up two books of! 100 duplicates each. I have a distinct ( knowledgo of one assistant delivery mak-i in" out over 220 tickets for loads during! one day. Taking with this the number' issued by the second assistant and tho| head delivery to be 100 or 120, it would bring the total to 300 and over, including the cheeking and counting of loads by the clerks. This system worked well for delivery,' the carters had little or no waiting or: complaints to make about the londing-.i in fact, it was a system that should not! have been discarded or superseded by! the unsatisfactory -and expansive system' called the American box system now in, use—the .American box system as it wasi known and the American sweating box' system as' rit now is called through £hei evolutions it has passed through by beinjj, shorn of much of its importance "and: pomp with which it ivaa ushered sinto l existence to make it a success, instead of j a deficit and loss producing scheme. The system consists of 5 or 6 terraced! boxes about 2Jft long by 10 inches in breadth. Each terrace is 8 inches deep,, the length divided into 5 or 6 spaces,, and lettered from A to Z, which contain! cards with the Jiames of the different, firms, the Nos. and marks of the packages in detail. When the system came into use there were the entry clerk (who was all the time writing up these details non the cards), the delivery clerk (whose name appears on a board outside the 6heds, advising carter to apply to Mr —— for their loads), and about eight or nine assistants, ten or eleven in all, as against three in the old system as in the case of large cargoes.

These assistants are increased by Is per day, bringing their money to 57s per week, against the casual in the old system of 55s per week of 44 hours, a slight difference considering the oasual under.the old and profit showing system worked and took numbers. Under the new system the assistants (to supply whom tho permanent staff had to be increased considerably) looked on and took the Nos. and marks while the casuals done the work.

This' system was brought under the notice of the board with other things about which an inquiry was held. There it was asserted that during the first two hours of a day, up till 10 o'clock, there were 69 or 70 loads dispatched. The comment attached to this statement was —That it could not be a bad system to show such good results, about 380 load 6 a day.

>jow, ooes the board know that to find out the above nearly the whole force of the tally clerk 6 were employed, and that these two hours were the busiest during; the days that the cargoes of two Home steamers were being delivered. If they don't know this it would be as well

to look into the matter. very carefully, as it will surely come under their notice very soon in a manner that will make itself felt. One of the evolutions that this system has undergone since the hoard expressed ite entire and renewed confidence in its officers, was the endorsement by the management of the charge asainst.it of the expensiveness of the new system, by reducing the number of assistants substantially till the system is hardly recognisable. The delivery 'clerk is now given charge of the working expenses of the shiip and to keep his bill down, and if possible to work cheaper than -a preceding ship he will take charge of the whole shed, and simply ignore the storemeu, strive to work with less labour, by sweatinc those he does employ; consequently the carters on coining for loading are told they must wait a-s they have not ■ got men.

Now, as a rule the carters are as much concerned about the loss of time in waiting for the board to perform its obligation, for which they charge the payers of dues and the consignees in general, as- the board's officers are in restricting labour. Sooner than lose their employer's time they will turn to and in most cases have their loads well towards completion, taking, the numbers themselves before a clerk hoves in sight to give them their ticket. »

This is one of the evolutions - through which the American box system becomes ■ the American -sweating box system in ■exploiting the cartage contractors of this icity, and practically-■ obtaining money 'under.. false pretences from the payers -of dues and consignees" of cargo while (trying to maintain a creditable (?) looking balance-sheet by sweating the tit „•',.' ~ CA , SUAL WORKER.: Wellington, December 4th, 1909.