The Timaru Herald. MONDAY, JULY 6, 1908. HARBOUR BOARDS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13639, 6 July 1908, Page 4

The Timaru Herald. MONDAY, JULY 6, 1908. HARBOUR BOARDS.

It is just a» well for the present that the Government, have mad* up their mind not. to attempt a consolidating HarbourBoards Bill this session. They would, we. fear, find a great dificulty in niieeting the desires of the. various organisations which wish to receive special representation upon the Harbour Boards of the colony. To-day we hear that the conference of 'waterside workers (or to . give, them the namo by which, they, will ba more generally vecognised, the. wharf lumpers) passed a resolution at Welling-' ton on Saturday urging the Minister to give them a place on each of these, important bodies. Their principal object in making this request, as far as can. ba gathered from the telegram -on .'the j.'ct, is to see that the. Harbour Boards provide baths and locker accommodation for men engaged about their wharves. It appears that the Wellington and I.ytbelton Boards are already moving in thjs direction, and a very laudable move it is.' lb follows the lead of many of the big factories in America, where a workman is provided .:.Avi th lavatory facilities ■ for . removing the dust and grime acquired during the day's work, and when ;he leaves the establishment, he has .gone, through, (he cleansing and changing process which most' colonial operatives have to defer until they reach their own homes. Conridering the dirty nature of much of the; work done by the : wharf labouiers, nobody will deny the desirability of'meeting, as far as it can possibly be done, the demand made by their representatives in Wellington. It is, of course, a question of. money, and we should .think a question of a considerable sum of. money, for 'ic would cost a good deal to, provide anything like an adequate number-of hatha for the gangs which are not infrequently employed simultaneously about the wharves in Tiniaru. We shonld; imagine that' the baths would not be of'much use unless they were' supplied with hot 'wafer, so that if they are to be established here, a respectable outlay will have-to be faced. With the. improvements in modern buildings, which give practically every cottage a hot water service, there, is .probably hot the need, for an installation oil .the wharves that there was a few years ago, and ■~ we daresay that not many of the Harbour Boards will be inclined to listen to the proposal as long as they have ur-, gent ;works in front of them for improving the essentials of a- port. In,'-.-■'any ease, we do not see why this laudable desire for bathing accommodation should liei deemed' to. cany with it a- special right to the representation of the wharf labourers upon the Board. As far a,v we have hi'en able to judge,: the system on which the Timaru Board; is elected, and which 'is 1 destitute,of claps considerations, gathers together a body, of men who bring the necessary energy and ability to-the discharge of their duties and manage the affairs of the: harbour in a' progressive and satisfactory spirit. ' It has been suggested here, as elsewhere, that: the Chamber of Commerce should bo granted epeeial : representation on the Board, and the contention can be supported with a good ideal of argument. ■ Such a .system would provide an easy Way of placing upon'the Board one or more, of the. principal business men whose experience and knowledge would no :doubt be of value in its deliberations. From a practical point of view, however, the Chamber (iu Timaru at all eventis, though it may nod be the case everywhere)' should have no trouble, in gelling the representation it wants. It'-rarely'happens that' there is much contest for the town j»eats, and a reliable .• business man, if nominated by the Chamber, would 1 stand every chance of election. But if we introduce the. principle of piecemeal representation by (;oliceding the right to Chambers of" Commerce to elect members of rill Arbour Boards,;'it will lie hard to draw the Una at the request, of the waterside workers.