CO-OPERATIVE SYSTEM

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19884, 10 March 1939, Page 12

CO-OPERATIVE SYSTEM

MR. SEMPLE’S APPROVAL

COMPANY SUPERVISION

BENEFIT TO NATION

(Per Pvoss Association.) WELLINGTON, this day

Addressing the conference of shipowners and watersiders’ representatives yesterdav, the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple, said he thought it was quite obvious to everyone who looked around the Dominion that there was room to: improvement on the waterfront. A representative of the Dunedin watersiders had stated that the men had offered to do work on a co-opera-tive basis but that the shipping companies had replied that they did not want to hand over their management to the union.

Mr. Semple, who expressed the view that the co-operative system was a practical remedy, said there would be no need .for the companies to relax their management in any shape or form.

“The companies could still have the right to supervise and see that everything was done to a hard and fast agreement that could be drafted to do the job," said the Minister. “I am satisfied you would get a greater measure of discipline, not imposed by punishment but self-imposed by the men, if you gave to them some responsibility and some interest in the job that you are doing. That is my experience.

“The men feel they are part ol' the -■nine business and take more interest in the business. They become a unit in the industry and they realise the more they do. the better it will be for themselves and, in the process* of doing more for themselves, they are doing more for the nation.” Mr. Semple said he commended to the conference the principle of cooperation, not piece work or competitive piece work that led to sweating There was a lot of difference between, the piecework system and a properly organised co-operative system.