INCREASED PAY SOUGHT

Taranaki Daily News, 17 September 1934, Page 2

INCREASED PAY SOUGHT

WAITARA WAGES COMPLAINT WORK AT THE RIVER ENTRANCE. HARBOUR BOARD DISCUSSION. They considered their wages while working on the north wall a little low for the work being done, firstly because they were engaged at irregular hours owing to the tide, and on some days they could do not work at all and secondly because they were wet most of the time, stated Messrs. C. D. Clare, W. Spurdie, W. C. Lehndorf and H. O. Kettle in a letter to the Waitara Harbour Board read at the monthly meeting. The men asked for an increase of 3d per hour, bringing the amount to Is 9d from the time the job was started, pointing out that though they worked one day from 8 a.m. to 9.30 p.m., they received no overtime rate. It was an impudent request on the part of the men to ask for an increase from the time they started, said the chairman, Mr. J. Hine. There were others falling over one another to get the job, and if the men now engaged were dissatisfied their places could be easily filled at the rate being paid. They complained of long hours, but they knew when they started that some days -would be long and some short. He was not opposed to paying something extra for work done before 8 a.m. and after 5 p.m. The men were entitled to Is 9d per hour for work done early or late, said Mr. H. Spurdie. There was no real overtime, it was a matter of working when conditions suited, said Mr. I. Prichard. In his opinion, said the chairman, Is 6d was not bad pay considering the times. It was better than some professional men were getting. He moved that the wages be at Is 9d an hour for time worked before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m. This was carried. Mr. W. R. Johns, who seconded the motion, remarked that the work was done under unpleasant conditions. Admittedly such conditions were well known when the job was entered into. The engineer in charge of the north Wall work, Mr. C. F. Dowsett, reported that four 20-ton blocks had been made and built in position. The excavation for the foundation was very compact, and explosives had been used to obtain the required depth. It was only at neap tides that the concrete work could proceed and consequently the work was more or less protracted. During spring tides the men were engaged ih procuring the depositing shingle at the depot. The harbourmaster, Captain Wood, reported that the depth of water on the bar during August was 8 feet at high water neap, and 10 feet 6 inches at high water spring tides. The channel between the walls and over the bar continued to be narrow. The inside lining of the boiler on the dredge required painting to prevent rust and the combing of the hatchway would be repaired when the carpenter was available. The fencing of sections in Waitara west had been completed and all noxious weeds grubbed. Permits were issued for the removal of seven yards of shingle from the northeast beach during August. No shingle had been removed from the south-west beach for several months.

The repairs necessary were authorised. Mr. A. K. Lash and Mr. A. L. Wilson applied for the use of the shed on the wharf lately occupied by the Taranaki Shipping Co. As both applicants offered the same rental, the names were put in a hat, Mr. Lash being successful. Messrs. Borthwick and Sons’ application for a renewal of a lease of the buildings on the wharf used as .a bag factory and wool dumping place for a two-year term, at an annual rental of £75 was granted. The Marine Department forwarded copies of general by-laws relating to motor launches. The chairman thought it necessary that such by-laws should be brought into operation. The Marine Department’s regulations dealt with noisy exhausts and other nuisances, and by adopting them the board could exercise more control than at present. The matter was referred to the board’s solicitors with a view to incorporation.

There were present Messrs. J. Hine (chairman), H. Spurdie, J. Vickery, E. C. Jones, D. Wiley, I. G. Prichard and V, r . Johns.