CONTROL BOARDS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19886, 13 March 1939, Page 14

CONTROL BOARDS

WATERSIDE WORK CONSTITUTION FIXED WIDE POWERS PROPOSED CREATION AT PORTS NATIONAL ORGANISATION (Per Tress Association.) 'WELLINGTON, this day. The constitution of the waterside boards, as adopted by the committee representing shipowners and waterside workers, who discussed methods of improving cargo handling conditions at New Zealand ports, is:— CI) That local boards be set up in the following centres: Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, Dunedin, Bluff, Port Chalmers, Oamaru, Timaru, Greymouth, Westport, Nelson, Picton, Napier, Gistoorne, Wanganui and New Plymouth. These local boards are to consist of two representatives of the employers, and two representatives of the workers, together with a chairman appointed toy the (parties. In the event pf the parties toeing unatole to agree on the appointment of a chairman, the chairman shall toe selected by the Minister of Labour. (2) The duties of the local tooards shall toe to investigate and report on all matters in . relation to working on the wharves and to use every effort to adjust disputes so that no stoppages shall occur on the waterfronts and to report on any new method or methods for the more efficient loading or discharging of cargo. (3) The local boards shall report to the national board, hereinafter provided, and, if necessary in cases of emergency, they may report direct to the Minister of Labour. (4) A national board shall also be established and shall consist of three representatives of the. employers of waterside labour, and three representatives of the union, with a chairman to toe appointed by the parties. In event of the parties not being able to agree en the appointment of a chairman, the chairman shall toe selected toy the Minister of Labour. (5) The duties of the national board will toe to consider and co-ordinate the reports received from the local tooards, to make such investigations as they deem necessary at any port or ports throughout New Zealand, to report to the Minister from time to time and to make recommendations. (a) On improvements which should be adopted for the more efficient carrying on of work.

(b) On a more efficient system of utilisation of the labour available on the waterfront. (c) On any new method or methods for employing labour which, ;n the opinion of the board, would be in the interests of the employers, the workers and the industry as a whole. (6) The national and local tooafds shall have full liberty to make any investigations they deem advisable. OBVIATING HOLD-UPS AIM OF PROPOSALS MR. SAVAGE'S ASSURANCE fSpecial to the Herald.) WELLINGTON, this day. The conference of waterside and shipping interests ended on Saturday with the delegates agreeing that effective means can be devised for avoiding wharf stoppages by setting up a national transport board with local boards acting in co-operation. The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, who was invited to the concluding phases, assured the conference that if there were any weaknesses in the law which militated against results being achieved, the law would be strengthened. Mr W. Bennett, on behalf of the employers, stated it was difficult to put in black and white the conditions for working eight or nine ports and, sometimes there were hotheads on both sides. He believed the conference had devised something which would stop the hold-ups and improve not only the rate of work but the methods on the waterfront.

Mr. J. Roberts, speaking for the workers agreed with Mr. Bennett regarding the difficulty in providing for all eventualities in the industry which may not be such a simple one as some outside critics thought These fellows had been christened "fountain pen stevedores."