H—4s

Port of Auckland, for instance, there has again been a general reduction in rates of work. Butter, which fell to 742 boxes per gang per net hour in 1947-48, shows a further drop in 1948-49 to 730 boxes per gang per net hour. Small reductions also occurred in the rates of work for most other classes of cargo. At Wellington, on the other hand, good improvements have been recorded during 1948-49 on all classes of cargo loaded. Mutton and lamb, for example, has risen from 730 carcasses per gang per net hour in 1947-48 to 782 carcasses per gang per net hour in 1948-49. Improvements of a similar nature have also been recorded at the Ports of Dunedin, Napier, New. Plymouth, and Timaru. While the rates of work at Port Chalmers and Bluff are still quite satsifactory, there has been a reduction in the rates of loading meat at these two ports during 1948-49. Decreases, however, are shown in the all-port average rates of work for most ■cargoes discharged. For general cargo, the principal class, the reduction was from 12-53 tons per net gang-hour in 1947-48 to 11-85 tons per net gang-hour in 1948-49. Substantial increases in quantities of cargo handled, both inward and outward on overseas vessels, are recorded for 1947-48 and 1948-49 as compared with 1946-47, the first post-war year. The rate of discharging overseas vessels is far from satisfactory, and there is ample room for improvement. The low rate of discharge is not, however, ■entirely due to the lack of efforts by the men employed. Other factors affecting the rate of discharge are congestion of wharf and railway goods-sheds, the overloading of port facilities, particularly at the Port of Auckland, multiplicity of marks,, and .-shortages of mechanical wharf handling equipment. (ii) Coastal Vessels There have been no marked changes in the average rates of work for handling •coastwise cargo for the year 1948-49 as compared with 1947-48. On Union Steam Ship Co. vessels general cargo was handled at an average of 13-52 tons per net gang-hour for all ports in 1948-49, as compared with 13-60 tons per net gang-hour in 1947-48. For other coastal vessels the figures were 16-48 tons (1948-49), as compared with 15-94 (1947-48). The following table sets out,, for comparative purposes, the average rates of work for general cargo on both types of coastal vessel at the main ports and principal secondary ports for the three post-war years: —

7

I. Union Steam Ship Co., II. Other Coastal Vessels. Vessels. General Cargo : Rates Per General Cargo : Rates Per Net Gang-hour. Net Gang-hour. 1946-47. 1947-48. J - 1948-49. 1940-47. 1 1947-48. 1948-49. Main Ports — Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Auckland 11-06 10-83 10-82 (Not worked under contract) Wellington 15-74 14-29 15-13 15-41 14-24 15-57 Lyttelton 14-50 14-31 14-13 14-23 13-83 14-10 Dunedin .. :. 13-30 14-75 14-92 15-46 16-84 15-97 Principal secondary ports — Napier 16-48 16-65 17-27 15-03 15-81 16-11 New Plymouth 16-07 15-80 16-08 13-86 13-76 14-27 Wanganui 18-07 17-74 17-80 Nelson 22-79 22-09 21-76 27-82 . 27-98 27-57 Timaru 17-99 18-58 19-00 19-28 21-04 21-54 Bluff 13-97 14-67 14-87 15-08 16-33 14-64