PORT OF AUCKLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 231, 29 September 1902, Page 4

PORT OF AUCKLAND.

INCREASE OF TRADE.

-The present healthy condition of trade in connection with the port of Auckland is very marked. During tne past month there has been a great influx of large steamers and sailing vessels to the port of Auckland, and while their gross tonnage has been set down at 100,000 tons their cargoes have been considerable. Today *the whole of the oversea vessels in port aggregate about 16,000 tons, with a cargo-carrying capacity of about 40.0D5 tons, and the actual amount of cargo now being handled represents something like 14.00U tons. It follows naturally tnat with such an unusually large amount of work the number of wharf-hands would have been considerably increased. The number of wharf labourers at work to-day has been rough!}- calculated to be 420 or 430, and of these 200 are engaged by the one firm. It speaks weil for the port that employment should be thus afforded for such a large number of men, and when, later in the week, the Foreric, with cargo representing about 890 tons, Ventnor, 5000 tons, Ripley, 1000 tons, and the Ovalau, with fruit from the Islands, and one or two barques, now about due, arrive, there should be a good demand for labour. In conversation with the traffic manager on the wharf (Mr Burgess), a "Star" reporter incidentally referred to the appliances in use in the South ;nd here, and asked how we. with our hand labour, compared with the hydraulic lifts adopted in most Southern ports. Mr Burgess replied that, although we have only hand labour here, the discharge and loading of vessels is carried out with greater despatch than any other port in New Zealand, and, in fact, in Australasia. More work is done by the local men in eight hours than their fellows In Southern ports, an average of about SO tons to the hour being not infrequently main-; tamed throughout the discharge ancl loading of steamers. Tbe system of carrying out the discharge, etc.. of boats was more thoroughly carried out by the different firms now engaged than a single body like the Harbour Board could expect to, and in this latter respect they; had again another advantage over their; Southern rivals, nearly all of. whom were, under the Harbour Board system of discharge.