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CHAPTER XI.

to secure adequate employment to maintain themselves and their fami-
lies, and this was confirmed by evidence that wharf labourers were
employed for only about 10 to 12 days in a month. In Rangoon also
there has been serious unemployment. More than half the export
from this port consists of rice. We have been supplied with a state-
ment showing that, while average monthly exports during 1929 am-
ounted to 306,000 tons, the tonnage in March was 438,000 and in
November 240,000 only. Imports also fluctuated in 1929 between
100,000 tons in March and 175,000 tons in October. The represent-
ative of stevedoring firms in Rangoon stated that, in the busy season
from February to April, men work seven days a week, but over the year
the average would not be more than 12 or 13 days in the month. The
British India Steam Navigation Company, who have on their books
90 gang masstries, estimate the average number of shifts worked by each
of these men at 17 a month, but we have no information as to the
extent to which the personnel of the gang varies, and this obviously
affects the amount of employment obtained by individual members.
The position has been complicated by the recent arrangement to employ
Burmans on a fifty-fifty basis with Indians who, until June 1930,
were alone employed on the docks. No detailed figures were received
regarding the position at other ports, but we believe that there also
problems of unemployment and’ under-employment require attention.
So far no attempt has been made to decasualise dock labour. The
tendency has been rather to distribute employment among increasing
bumbers, with the result that the average earnings of the workers have
diminished without any reduction in wage rates.
Decasualisation and Registration.

We consider that those labourers who regularly offer themselves
for work at the docks are entitled to secure as large a measure of
regular employment as the nature of the calling will allow. This can
only be secured by decasualisation. We recommend the adoption
in each of the main ports of a system of registration, which should be
supervised and controlled by the port authority, assisted by represent-
atives of shipowners, stevedores and labourers. A register should be
compiled of all workers who have a genuine claim to be regarded as dock
labourers. It should include all those employed on the work of loading
and unloading on board ships, or on shore, s.e., harbour, dock, wharf,
quay or at any similar place where such work is carried on. The exist-
ing system, which gives tolow-paid toliwalas and other intermediaries
the power to determine which men should receive employment, is bound
to be associated with abuse, and a representative of one of the leading
Port Trusts, speaking of bribery and corruption, said “ I think it is pro-
bably too general among that class of people for any one to look upon
it as other than customary ”. The aim should be, first to regulate the
numbers of dock labourers in accordance with requirements and, secondly
to ensure that the distribution of employment depends, not on the caprice
of intermediaries, but on a system which. as far as possible, gives all
sfficient men an eoual share