OTAGO HARBOUR BOARD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24336, 28 June 1940, Page 3

OTAGO HARBOUR BOARD

MONTHLY MEETING The monthly meeting of the Otago Harbour Board was held last night and was presided over by the chairman, Mr J. B Waters. Financial The bank balances showed a net credit balance of £15,139 16s 9d. Harbour Board’s Union The chairman and the secretary (Mr W. Renton) were appointed "to represent the board at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Harbour Boards Industrial Union of Employers, to be held in Wellington ‘on July 24. War Service The Standing Committee reported on a matter of a communication from the local branch of the New Zealand Harobur Boards’ Employees’ Union, which forwarded a copy of a resolution adopted by the ‘union offering its services to the Government outside normal working hours for the furtherance of New Zealand’s war effort. With a view to making this offer of more practical value, the board offered the use of its equipment such ‘as motor trucks, boilermakers’. blacksmiths’ engineers’, carpenters’, ahd electricians’ shops. The committee recommended that the employees he commended for their patriotic gesture. The chairman said that he did not think he needed to add to the minute The offer certainly showed a very fine spirit on the part of the employees’ union. Mr Begg agreed that the offer was an excellent gesture, and it showed the way to other organisations. Here they had an offer from employees who were prepared to do war work in their own time. He thought that more could be done by individuals and organisations ,in this direction than had been done in the past. ' , Mr Thompscn said he thought that if ..the employers worked sav a 48hour week it would relieve the . posi tion as regarded skilled tradesmen for service in England They in New Zealand hardly appreciated what Britain had to contend with. She had the largest navy in the world, and she had to maintain the largest mercantile marine. She had also a highly me : chanised army and air force, ana these had to be maintained. The greatest service they could, render Great Britain would be to give her skillea tradesmen to maintain these services and increased production. If the Har hour Board employees worked, say. 4b hours a week they would relive, as he had said, certain skilled men for overseas service and thus make a teal contribution, so far as the war was concerned. His idea might be adopted by unions throughout the Dominion. The greatest need to-day in Britain was skilled tradesmen. He hoped that the matter would be reconsidered by the employees and that they would act on the lines he had suggested. The chairman pointed out that the offer was not confined solely to members of the union. The members of the staff were included in the offer, and it had been a quite spontaneous gesture. There was no doubt that the war was not only being fought on the field, but in the engineering shops, ,just as desperately as in the field. If New Zealand or Australia could make any contribution by sending skilled men overseas they would be doing something well worth consideration. _ Mr Begg suggested that the staff members should be included in the terms of the minute and this was agreed to Mr Clarke said that he did not agree with what Mr Thompson had said when he had stated that members of the board might work 48 hours a week to release other employees. If the men. for instance, worked 48 hours in the engineering department or in the electrical department. what skilled workmen could be released? The workers throughout the British Empire were working on the lines of production, and were playing a great part in the defence of their country <yid the defence of the Empire. A large percentage of members of organisations were away with the forces and were still going away. They could not expect that the war effort should be only on the one side. It had got to be made 100 per cent, all round. The workers in New Zealand were doing all they were asked to do in production. and a committee bad been set up by the Government, and if it considered that longer hours should be worked, no doubt they would be worked. Mr Campbell said that Mr Knewstubb and the whole of his staff were prepared to go to England to carry oui ship repairing. Mr Thompson: One of the best efforts that could be made. The recommendation was adopted. British Sailors’ Society It was decided to make a grant of 15gns to the funds of the British Sailors’ Society. Barricading the Wharves The harbour master (Captain MacLean) submitted recommendations regarding barricades at the wharves, as a war precaution, and these were adopted. Chairman’s.. Honorarium The chairman’s honorarium was fixed at £2OO per annum. Statement of Revenue The statement of receipts for the eight months ended on May 31 showed that the revenue had amounted to £117,446. The revenue for the corresponding period of last year was £145,556. and for 1937-38 £137,057. The expenditure for the eight months ended May 31 was £135,307, as against £143,923 for the corresponding period for the previous year. Arrivals and Departures During the month of May. 52 vessels of 80,769 tons arrived at Dunedin and Port Chalmers, and 51 vessels of 75,980 tons departed from these ports.