THE WATERSIDE TROUBLE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14213, 2 February 1917, Page 6

THE WATERSIDE TROUBLE

E A I {XIX 05,.! O F WORKERS. 'I'l^g. statement issued at Wellington on behalf of the <<m plovers seta out: — Returns of average wages .earned since increase, granted m February, 1915, are at present available only for the ports jof Wellington, Napier, " and Lyttelton, but they are sufficient to give some idea of the* money earned by waterside workers, and are as under:— WELLINGTON. Shipowners : for all workers (avJ&age number employed 1100), average earned £3 10s 9d per week. For those men who hay© been available for work threequarters of the time covered by the period, aivrl who may' be taken as those who depend upon waterside work as their means of livelihood — 739 men. Average earned, £3 15s lid per week. Average hours worked, 37.3 per week. Tn other words, the men who depend on the waterside for the means of subsistence m Wellington earn an average of £3 15a lid for a littln over 4i- days' work per week.. Analysis of earnings of 739 men mentioned above : — 2 men earned an average of over £6 per week. , 8 men earned an average of between £5 lCs to £6. 42 men earned an average of between £5 to £5 10s. 93 men earned an average of between £4 10s to £5 par week. ' 141 men earned an average of between '- £4 to £4 10s. 168 men earned an average of between .£3 10s .to £4. . 182 men earned' an average of between £3 to £3 10s. ' < 80 m<Nn earned an average of between £2 10s to £3. 23 men earned an average of under £2 10s. 739 Hai'bor Board : Average number of men om ployed. 464; average earnings of all mm employed,, £3 2s. 6d per week ; of the-?*} 233 men are on a special register for preference of emnlovment. 'and the average r-tarning; for half-year, August. 1915. to February. 1916, is (prior to last increa^eV £3 7s lid : half-year, February. 1916, t<v .August, 1916 (sincti last inrraa So^ £3 17 S 10ft per week. The following is fi further analysis of the enrnings of the abov A 233 men: — 8 Men 1 averaged over £5 ncr week. 17 men averaged from £4 10s to £5 per. week. „ ■„■.-, . ■ _, ; 80 moi averaged 'from £4 to £4 10s per week. '■'•■'■ " 84 men averaged from £3 10s to £4 per week. •':•:-.• ! 36 men -.averaged- I from -£3 to £3 10s per week. .- "■ 10 me-i averaged under £3. Of the 10 men who averaged less than "£3 «er' week, the position h that each of them, lost timo either through their own default or by" reason nf accident or sickness, otherwise- *»a<rh of them would | hay© earned over £3 per week, and to that extern, the average earnings of all men would have been increased. ! NAPIER. ■Returns received from this port- show that on the average 65 men were employed -durinsr th© period. J The first 20 men earned «m average ■of £3 19s 7d per week. ' B ] Tho firs+. 50, men earned an average of £3 9s 6d per week. Th^ 65 men earned an average of £3 5s 6d. LYTTELTON. Average number of; men employed, 437, v average- Hours worked per week by all/men employed, 31; average wage earned per week— all men employed, £3 3s 6d ; 261 men averaged £3 per week and over; average, hours worked. 36; average wage earned £3 15s lid per \ week. I The. above returns show that men who really follow waterside work as an occupation are m receipt of higher averasr^ earnings than the great majority of skilled workers. * i