IDLE WHARVES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 192, 14 August 1940, Page 10

IDLE WHARVES.

U.S.A. SHIPPING. UNION STRANGLEHOLD SAN FRANCISCO MENACE. "Don't growl about your unions here. You are lucky to be the way you are." In these words Sir Walter Carpenter, noted Australian shipping man, drew a sharp comparison between labour conditions in Xew Zealand and the United States when he arrived in the Mariposa to-day following a business trip to America. "It is a tragedy to see Sen Francisco to-day," he said. "Once it was a flourishing port. Xow it is dead. Before 1 aving to return to Australia I stood on a hill above the bay and looked over the 100 docks of its vast waterfront. There were only five ships there. The labour troubles at the port are such that no shipowner will send his ship to San Francisco if he can help it. "Control of the waterfront by the various unions is rigid," said Sir Walter. "When a captain takes his ship in there he cannot be sure when he will. get it out asrain. AH ships that can cut out San Francisco do so. People are inclined to blame. Harry Bridges wholly, but the fault is not his entirely. It is the waterfront Unions and the unions behind them that control the position." While in the United States Sir Walter, who is head of W. R. Carpenter and Company, bought two ships, each of 550 tons, the Admiral Chase and the Admiral Day, formerly American-owned. They are now on their way from Canada to Australia," and in future will trade between those two countries, although if there were sufficient inducements they would include Xew Zealand in their itinerary. On the trip south the ships will carry timber, general goods and sulphate, aiid will return to Canada with copra from Fiji and Xew Guinea.

Many of America's overseas freigthers had been sold, said Sir Walter. The neutrality restrictions meant that they were unable to trade with belligerent countries. and in the early stages of the war many tons, were sold to Britain, France, Holland and Denmark. The fortunes of war meant that practically all of these were now in British hands. The huge passenger liners that formerly ran between the United States and the Continent had been diverted to South America," regular services being rtin between New York and the Pacific Coast of the United States and New York and South American porte, via the Panama Canal. These ships catered almost entirely for the tourist trade. They had extensive accommodation of a luxury type and the fares charged were sufficient to make the services pay. Sir Walter concluded by stressing the fact that now was the time that the British Commonwealth of Nations should trade within itself. The: Hon. W. Lee Martin met Sir Walter wb%n the ship berthed and welcomed him on behalf of the Government, later discussing shipping matters with ;him.