WHARF ACCIDENTS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume V, Issue 1339, 29 May 1918, Page 8

WHARF ACCIDENTS.

COMMISSION OF INQUIRY. SITTING AT LYTTELTON.The Commission which is inquiring into the causes of accidents on the waterfront, in relation to ships' discharging gear, continued its Lytteltoa sitting yesterday afternoon. The members of the Commission are: Hon. T. M. Wilford, Minister of Marine (chairman), Mr J, Marchbanks, engineer to the Wellington Harbour Board (representing Harbour Boards); Captain McArthur, of Wellington (representing the shipping companies), and Messrs J. Boberts and L. Glover, also of Wellington (representing the Watersiders' Federation). The Commission continued taking the evidence of watersiders. Samuel A. Hughes, railway worker on the Lyttelton waterfront for about four years, said that he was against the swinging derricks. They were unsafe for the meu working in the trucks. Hei recommended the use of two derricks iu-j stead. Ordinary short splices were no ■ good for a whip. Chuting was danger-j ous for men loading. George Henry Schon had 10 years'j experience at Lyttelton. He had never 1 known winch brakes to be thoroughly I effective. He thought if the brakes were in good order they would be used.j Ho approved the Commission 's-sugges-, tions for the holding of the T-iron and the fixing of a safety net beneath the hatches. I

Henry Kobert Yoyce had 18 years' Lyttelton experience, and was a former secretary of the union. He had known fatal accidents by the falling of cargo stacks in the hold when an adjoining stack was being taken down. In some of the loading nets now used the meshes were too large. He thought there should be an Sin mesh. From a safety point of view, the Commission's coal hook would be good; but from the employers' point of view it would take too long to unhook the basket. Owen Reilly, said that he had had 12 years' Lyttelton experience, and nine or ten years at sea on a sailer. The shore water cans were all Jright, but some of the ships' Were not too good. Some of them were so dirty that he would not drink from them. From the use of donkey boilers, there was a risk of sparks getting down the hold. The use of electrical power would obviate that. Win. Edwin Agar, a past secretary of the union, said that in 27 years' experience at Lyttelton he didn't think that he had driven two winches which he could trust to the brakes. If one trusted to the appliances provided, winches would often become unclutched. The pins were of no practical value; but the men safeguarded themselves by lashing the,levers. In all his winch experience he had never had an accident.

Duncan Mcßae had had experience of hydraulic gear. His opinion was that the "jumping" was due to the rusting up of the pipes. When the water was hard, the -hydraulic worked stiffly. AVheu it was soft, the working was easy. Soft soap softened the water. Usually, the engineers softened it when asked, but once witness had been told to mind his own business.

The next witness taken (Adam Coutts) was for the other .side, as he was bo 'sun on the Maori, and had to sail last night. He had had four years' sailing experience, and 2.°« of steam. He explained that he usually overhauled the gear once a week. He had been doiug that for' his own benefit for all the 54 years of his Maori experience. He went up in the rigging to inspect. They had double-running gear on the Maori. That was safer than single. He did not think that all the coastal boats got the same attention to

gear as the Maori did. Many did not have the same opportunities. The Commission then adjourned until to-day. TO-DAY'S PROCEEDINGS. Further evidence from watersiders was called this morning. John Flood, secretary to the union, gave his opinion that accidents were mostly due to the breaking of slings, especially with timber, and by defective gear. The present inspector, Capt. Wilcox, was very obliging, and always ready to listen to the meu. He had seen spars come down, and once a mast pulled right down when they were loading a traction engine on double gear. Beyoud a few guys, no special gear was, rigged for that. Ho considered that an experienced watersider and seaman would make the best inspector of gear. There had been complaints of the weight of casks of tallow and pelts and dumps of wool. There had been employers' complaints that the standard of watersiders' efficiency was not as of yore; but ho attributed that largely to the loss of so many fit and experienced workers to join the colours. The coining in of fresh men would have a tendency to increase the number of accidents. In a discharging port, he thought that no sling of timber should be over three feet high. Some now were five feet.

. Ernest Edward Langley, Union president, thought that ft daily or weekly inspection of gear would reduce the risk of accidents. Captain Wilcox, although he had no jurisdiction below decks, had been good enough to "word" the skipper concerning a defective ladder which had been complained of. The ladder was fixed that day. There were lots of local accidents from protruding nails or jagged hoop-iron on eases. George Smith, of 35 years' experience on the Lyttelton waterfront, condemned the system of swinging derricks. This was the last of the men's witnesses. Those for the other side were then called. THE EMPLOYEES' SIDE. Thos. Francis Walklin, coal foreman for, the Union Co., said that he had power to condemn gear .when necessary. Foremen had instructions to overhaul all baskets and gear. He repeatedly had to stop the men from making big slings. He would "go one better" than the Commission's. T-iron, by having one forked at the bottom to fit into two sockets. Meu took'risks that they were not asked to take by skylarking. The storeman washed out the water-cans when they came in from every ship. He had reported adversely on men who made up big (dangerous) slings. Plenty of men did not know how to wedge a T-iron properly. George Joseph Madden, in 'the employ of the Blackball Coal Coy., ; said that he had full power to renew gear, and keep everything up-to-date. Captain F. A. Hutchinson, agent for the Blackball Coal Coy., had been through all the branches in both sail and steam. He put in a list of all accidents which had been reported in the port for a year past. The Canterbury Steamship Coy. and the Blackball Coal Coy. had clean sheets. His company made ai thorough inspection of gear every mouth. He considered the present system of Government inspection very good—even severe*. But he thought that the powers of the inspecting officer should be extended to cover all gear. He approved of the Commission's iron, save that it meant the piercing of the coaming. While approving of the principle of a net beneath the hatches, he would commit himself to no special system. (Proceeding.)