CARGO CONGESTION AT WELLINGTON STOPS WATERSIDERS WORKING

Wanganui Chronicle, 10 November 1950, Page 6

CARGO CONGESTION AT WELLINGTON STOPS WATERSIDERS WORKING

PARLIAMENT BLDGS., Nov. 8 (PA).—Congestion of cargo on the wharves in Wellington has been responsible for waterside workers being unable to work, but. action has been taken and the situation has now improved. This was disclosed in the House of Representatives today when the Minister of Labour (Mr Sullivan) replied to a written question by Mr McCombs (Opp., Lyttelton). Mr Sullivan said that action had recently been taken and publicised in Wellington to ensure the prompt clearance of goods from wharf sheds in Wellington. This had resulted in a marked improvement in the congestion of wharf sheds and yesterday there was a shortage of labour on the waterfront. Mr Moohan (Opp., Petone) said he had hoped for more specific measures than the steps taken by the Cargo .Control Committee to ensure that accumulation of cargo would not delay the unloading of ships. Although there was full work on the Wellington waterfront yesterday and today, hundreds of men were home .on many days last month, and if there was a return to those conditions the turn-round of many ships between now and Christmas would be needlessly delayed. DAYS MEN WERE SENT HOME Mr Moohan gave the following figures of the numbers of watersiders sent home on various days last month because congestion of wharf sheds made it impossible for them to work. October 11, 167; October 12, 316; October 13, 194; October 14, 246; October 16, 137; October 17, 216 and 57 harbour board employees; October 18, 117 and 57 harbour board workers; October 19, 71 and 11; October 27, 90; October 28, 280 and 37; October 30, 507 and 72; October 31, 305 and 10; November 1, 227,

Mr Moohan said the fact that as many as 600 men out of about 1800 employed at Wellington had been sent home on some days showed the need for a belter system of cargo clearance to prevent a recurrence of such hold-ups. Delays in the turn-round of ships were usually blamed on the watersiders, but these figures showed that, Hundreds of men had been prevented from working through lack of a j. roper system of shed clearance.

Mr Sullivan said that the sheds on the Wellington wharves had held 70,000 tons of cargo, against the normal intake of about 40,000 tons. He knew nothing of the congestion in the shedo until a deputation from the Watersiders’ Union waited on him. The Wellington Harbour Board’s cargo control committee had immediately got on the job and today there was no necessity for watersiders to be sent home because of congestion in the sheds in the port of Wellington. WRONG FOR CONGESTION TO OCCUR In his opinion, said the Minister, it was entirely wrong for such congestion to occur. It was not his responsibility as Minister of Labour to see that here was no congestion in the sheds, but it was the responsibility of the Wellington Harbour Board and its cargo control committee. Mr Chapman (Opp., Wellington Central) said that a total of 3191 watersiders and harbour board employees had been sent from their work in 14 days because of the congestion in the wharf sheds. Much blame for stoppages of work on the waterfront had been put on the watersiders, but very little was heard about the dealings of the Harbour Board itself. Mr Sheat (Govt., Patea): Give evidence before the Commission. Mr Chapman said there was no evidence that congestion would nOf recur. He said that some importers used the wharf sheds as the selling point L)r their goods, preferring to pay shed charges rather than handle their goods in a more expensive way. Steps should be taken by the Harbour Board to see that serious cargo congestion did not recur.