Australia

Of this deficit of 346 workers for all New Zealand. 86 per cent of it occurred in Wellington where the actual strength was nearly 300 short of the port's quota of 1800. It is apparent that unless this deficiency of labour is greatly reduced (very much an improbability because of the shortage of suitable housing in Wellington), the Union will continue to "hold a pistol" at the heads of the Port Employers' Association and the Harbour Board.

In other New Zealand ports the employers are able to exercise a much firmer control and meet the Union half-way with regard to disputes and new proposals.

Wellington is merely one of the eight major ports in New Zealand which have similarly slow rates of turn round (with the possible exception of Bluff). The importance of this in world trade is emphasized by the formation of two committees — "The Producer Boards' Shipping Utilization Committee" in New Zealand; and "The New Zealand Trade Streamlining Committee" in London. The task of these was to 'examine all factors likely to effect economies in the turn round of shipping' with attention to such questions as palletization; mechanical loading and discharge; greater use of cartons and standardization of sizes; road, rail, and water transport facilities to and from docks.

In the final report submitted (published February 1964) there were a number of pertinent recommendations resulting from comparison of New Zealand facilities, management systems and labour organization, with those existing in the United Kingdom and Australia.

Some of the most significant recommendations are—(1) Greater efforts should be made by the freezing companies to ship the new killings early in the season so that the ships can return to New Zealand in time to lift cargoes in the peak season.

(2) The majority of ships should be programmed to load at no more than two ports in New Zealand and to discharge at no more than two ports in the United Kingdom and Western Europe.

(3) Representations should be made to the New Zealand Government, through the Minister of Labour, to initiate negotiations on all changes regarding the employment of labour on the waterfront, in particular those concerned with hours of work and shift work; holiday work; avoidable delays and non-productive time; incentives; supervision; and mechanisation.

(4) Development in loading and discharging New Zealand produce at the principals should be concentrated, in the forseeable future, on the use of conveyor plant.

The first two, if adopted, should help to relieve the congestion in the ports. With the freezing companies and the Dairy Board cooperating in shipping new produce early in the season, and more strict programming of the ports of call of ships, much of the time spent 'lying idle' could be eliminated.

The proposals relating to shift work, based on Australian experience, are basically sound. At present the Wellington watersiders average about 48 hours' work per week, many of them are working 56 hours. It is only understandable that their psychological attitude towards work should be detrimental to the economies in turn-round.