WORK ON WHARVES

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23287, 24 August 1945, Page 3

WORK ON WHARVES

Fijian Battalion The wisdom of forming Labour battalions to work on wharves in wartime was illustrated by Brigadier J. G. C. Wales, of Auckland, formerly commandant of the Fijian Military Forces, in an address to the Devonport Orphans' Club. He drew a comparison between the work done by a labour battalion on the wharves in Fiji and the Auckland waterside workers. After paying a tribute to the splendid service given by the Fijian soldiers in the Pacific, their marksmanship and their patriotism, Brigadier Wales dealt with the formation of the labour battalions on a military basis. Many of the men. he said, were entirely unaccustomed to labouring work, knew nothing at first of the unloading and loading of ships, but were keen to learn. They entered into the job enthusiastically and before long had set a standard of work in loading and unloading ships that marked them as the fastest wharf workers in the Pacific. “Working the most difficult hold in the Matua. these men 2B- tons an hour, and the best that could be done by the Auckland watersiders, working the same vessel with up-to-date equipment. wa«- 7.’ : tons an hour.” said Brigadier Wa’es. “In addition, the loading cost when the battalion was used was about 3d a ton more than nre-war People here have a fair idea of what it was when the Auckland watersiders began to load and unload a vessel. “Those men in Fili took a pride in their work, and their one idea was to turn the shins around ciuicklv and set them back to sea in the interests of the war effort. They did not work on the wharves simply to see bow much they could make out of it.” Brigadier Wales spoke of the necessity for a man to have nride of ievement in his work and said that this had iar5P1’_22222_222_21_222L’ 2* ej Uand