BY THE WATERSIDE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10965, 29 July 1921, Page 5

BY THE WATERSIDE

THE LABOUR SYSTEM FARMERS’ CONFERENCE ATTACKS PRESENT METHODS. A CHANGE DESIRED. Waterside labour was discussed by tile Farmers’ Union conference in Wellington yesterday. Captain Colbeck (Morrinsville) moved:— in view of the great importance to the public and the industries of the Dominion of efficient control and working of the waterfront industry, it be an earnest recommendation to the Government that they institute an early and exhaustive inquiry into the whole matter of cargo handling at the various ports.” . Captain Colbeck described his motion as one of the most important the conference had to consider. There was a tremendous amount of waste under the present system of waterfront work. Tho question ivas not one of wages, hut the trouble was the men made up their minds they would not work. It had been shown that on no'one day had all the men on the "Wellington, waterfront been employed. The men did not earn I a great deal on the average. The system of waterfront work was had and the waterfront had becofne a breeding i ground of strife. It was taking three months instead of one to turn a ship round in New Zealand waters. There were as good men on the wharf as elsewhere, and the whole thing was to get the better system. The present system was iniquitous, and the married men must find the waste of time very difficult to endure. THE CONTRACT SYSTEM. Mr E. Bowmar (Gore) sraid the producers’ committee had discussed the matter with the Government and the question was being investigated in every phase. Mr W. D. Lysnar (Gisborne) .thought the curse of the present system ivas overtime, He believed a better system oomld be evolved.

Mr H. E. Russell (Hawke’s Bay) did not think revolutionary labour would accept the contract system: they would fight it to the death. Mr Lysnar: You are wrong. Mr C. K. Wilson, speaking of the contract system, said it was evidence of a change of thought among Labour leaders when the man who was ■ once the greatest of all the direct actionists now advocated the contract system on co-operative lines. The conference should not run away with the idea that the men were due for all the blame; the shipping people, too, had their faults. He believed our waterfront trouble was capable of solution and he drew attention to a Sydney scheme, which, he avid, had worked so well 1 that there had heen no strike there since its institution. WELLINGTON SCHEME WORKING WELD. Mr G. P. Johnston considered tho matter beyond solution by the conference. He moved as an amendment: “That the Dominion executive confer with the Government in evolving <• scheme for better control of waterfront labour.” Mr T. Moss (Eketahuna) said the permanent labour scheme which had just been instituted on the Wellington waterfront was, so far, working well, “We will have to make the conditions on the waterfront so reasonable and so good that the men will want to stay.” Captain Colbeck (Morrinsville) said the contract system was unworkable. A mystery surrounding the whole thing was that the shipping companies made no effort to solve the troubles. Both the motion and the amendment were carried.