CEMENT SUPPLIES FOR CANTERBURY

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27670, 28 May 1955, Page 6

CEMENT SUPPLIES FOR CANTERBURY

Big Shipment Due In

Mid-June ASSURANCE BY IMPORTER A shipment of 4000 to 5000 tons of cement should arrive at Lyttelton for distribution in Canterbury between June 12 and June 16. This information was given to “The Press” by Mr D. O. Whyte, chairman of directors of Cement Importers, Ltd., in a telephone interview frofii Wellington last evening. Mr Whyte said that his firm had authority to nominate the port of discharge for ariy ship carrying its cement cargoes up to a week before its i arrival in New Zealand. Three ships—the Union Star, the SuehaiHo, ana the Kaimanawa —were within three weeks’ distance of New Zealand and each would be carrying more than 4000 tons of cement, he said. As soon as it was apparent which of these would be the first to arrive it would be directed to Lyttelton, Mr Whyte said. The Union Star and the Suehai Ho were on their way from Japan and the Kaimanawa was to come from Australia, said Mr Whyte. (The Kaimanawa left Dunedin yesterday for Sydney, according to a shipping telegram from Dunedin). The expected arrival dates of June 12 to June 16 were according to the latest advice from the shipping companies concerned, but, as with all shipping arrangements, they were subject to alteration in the event of bad weather at sea or other factors. “We are conscious of the seriousness of the cement position in Canterbury, and we fully appreciate that some firms are keeping men on although they have no work for them until they get more cement,” Mr Whyte said. “But the position is even worse in the North Island; the loss of three weeks’ production by the Golden Bay Cement Company (whose works were flooded on May 8) has been disastrous for the Wellington provincial district. Roxburgh Dejuands “The Milburn Lime and Cement Company’s total production goes to Roxburgh; and we have taken all possible steps to remedy the position. We tried to divert the Galavale to Lyttelton instead of Dunedin, but there was no berth available at Lyttelton. And when Canterbury’s allocation of the Galavale’s cargo has been used there.will be no more until the arrival of the next ship in midJune.” Mr Whyte said that the discharge of the Galavale’s cargo was going fairly well, but the sorting of the cement in the water-damaged No. 2 hold was delaying the ship’s departure for Wellington (where she is to discharge the remainder of Canterbury’s cement). Every damp bag from this hold had to be opened and the cement sieved, so as to reclaim all the usable cement, he said. This was a slow and dirty job, and it occupied a lot of shed space. The Golden Bay Cement Company (of which Mr Whyte is general manager) is not yet back in full production. Mr Whyte said it was hoped to resume full production on Monday. He paid a tribute to the workmen who had “done a magnificent job” in cleaning up the mtess left by the flood.