H—4s

The average man-hours lost per unionist employed during the year was 86 hours for all main and secondary ports. The Port of Auckland shows an average loss of -65 hours per unionist, as compared with the average of 153 hours per unionist at the Port of Wellington. During the year first-aid clinics with a qualified nurse in attendance were established at the Ports of Wellington and Lyttelton (see Section 7 (c), page 15). The Commission proposes during the forthcoming year to analyse the causes of accidents on the waterfront and to confer with all interested parties with a view to drawing attention to the main causes of accident in the industry and to adopt such additional safety precautions as may be considered necessary. (iii) Sickness, Penalties, and Absence for Other Causes Published in the Appendix (page 77) is a return showing the loss of man-days for unionists at the main arid secondary ports absent on account of sickness, penalties, compensation, and other causes. The return also shows the man-days worked which include days of availability for work when no work was offered. It will be seen from the return that, for all ports, unionists worked or were available for work on 82-83 per cent, of the total man-days for the year. The period of absence of 17-17 per cent, is accounted for by compensation, 4-16 per cent. ; sickness, 1-72 per cent.; penalties, 0-77 per cent. ; and absence for other causes, 10-52 per cent. Days of " absence for other cause " include any days absent on account of compensation and sickness for which no credit is given to the worker for annual holiday purposes. The percentage of man-days worked or available for work varies from a maximum of 94-23 per cent, for the Port of Onehunga to a minimum of 78-40 per cent, for the Port' of Wellington. 3. CO-OPERATIVE CONTRACTING (a) VALUE OF CONTRACTS AND TONNAGES HANDLED The following table summarizes the number, value, and tonnages handled under the Commission's co-operative contracting system for the three post-war years to 31st March, 1949, and the totals for the nine years of Commission control: —

While the number of contracts during 1948-49 increased by only 52 as compared with 1947-48, the increases in value and tonnages handled for the same period were £248,804 and 174,702 tons respectively. In April, 1948, the Commission introduced an incentive-payments scheme for the discharge of bulk sulphur at the Ports of Auckland, Dunedin, Port Chalmers, and New Plymouth. This scheme, which is similar to that for the discharge of bulk phosphate, commenced during 1947-48, has also shown satisfactory results both in quicker despatch of shipping and higher earnings to waterside workers for better work performed.

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Year. Number of Contracts., Value of Contracts. Tonnages Handled. 1946-47 1947-48 1948-49 • . . 3,717 4,127 4,179 £ 1,811,214 2,275,722 2,524,526 4,818,915 5,562,895 5,757,597 Totals 1940-49 29,979 15,565,215 38,762,686