SUGAR UNLOADING DELAY

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25739, 26 February 1949, Page 6

SUGAR UNLOADING DELAY

Complaint By Master Grocers STATEMENT BY WATERSIDERS Criticism of the»delay in unloading of the sugar cargo of 290 tons from the Kurow, which berthed at Lyttelton last Sunday, was made last evening by the president of the Canterbury Master Grocers’ Association (Mr J. S. Wilson). The first bags of sugar in the cargo were discharged at 10 o'clock yesterday morning. “I knew that there was sugar on the Kurow, and I expected the ship to be worked on Monday or Tuesday,” said Mr Wilson. When no sugar reached Christchurch by Wednesday morning he rang the Lyttelton office of the Waterfront Industry Commission, on behalf of his association and asked what could be done to hasten the unloading of the Kurow. “The reply I got was that the manager of the Union Steam S>hip Company had told the commission that the other ships had to be loaded first,” said Mr Wilson. He had then got in touch with the president of AssociatecLChambers of Commerce (Mr J. R. DWich), but he had evidently not been able to do much.

“Consequently, the sugar has been left. Up to 2 o’clock this afternoon no sugar had come through.” said Mr Wilson. He considered that the Government should investigate why the Kurow had been in port so long before being unloaded. The Lyttelton branch of the Waterside Workers’ Union did not know until Wednesday that there was sugar on board the Kurow, said the actingsecretary of the union (Mr E. H. Christian) yesterday. Representations were then made to the Waterfront Commission and the Union Steam Ship Company concerning the discharge of the sugar. His company was concerned that the Kurow should lie idle for so long, said the manager of the Union Company in Christchurch. Mr W. A. Smith, last evening, when Mr Wilson's statement was- referred to him. The company had applied to the commission for labour to work the ship. The ships were worked in turn and some had been idle this week because of lack of labour.