“Only One More Potato Shipment To Australia”

Press, Volume C, Issue 29616, 12 September 1961, Page 14

“Only One More Potato Shipment To Australia”

After the small consignment of potatoes due to be shipped on the Kaitoke for Sydney this week it was not expected there would be any further shipments to Australia for general distribution, the New Zealand exporter (Mr T. A. Penn) said yesterday. Mr Penn has just returned from Sydney where he saw the trial shipment of washed and unwashed potatoes unloaded from the Kawatiri. Mr Penn said credit must be given to the waterside workers at Lyttelton and the Union Steam Ship Company. The Kawatiri shipment had arrived in excellent condition with almost no deterioration and In better order than many lots he had seen unloaded in Auckland.

The potatoes had been shipped in new Australian Chapman sacks, which were smaller than the standard New Zealand 1601 b sack, and held 1401 b. This made handling easier and the use of hooks had been kept to an absolute minimum, said Mr Penn.-

When the potatoes were loaded at Lyttelton the slings | were set down on a trestle table in the hold and the sacks were carried across the

hold on the waterside workers' backs and stacked. There was no walking across the tops of the bags and when a layer was completed walking boards were put down. The ship’s hold was well ventilated and the 100 tons of washed potatoes shipped in addition to the 1000 tons of unwashed potatoes were also in excellent condition.

Mr Penn flew to Sydney last Tuesday evening and arrived at the wharves shortly after the Kawatiri had docked. He was able to see the complete unloading and handling of the potatoes in Sydney. The quarantine authorities insisted that the potatoes be re-treated with a sprout-in-hibiting chemical so they could not be used for growing and this was done in a big store where the potatoes were put over a conveyor and sprayed. All the potatoes have been taken by Sydney merchants. The quarantine authorities had agreed to allow further potatoes to be shipped or, the Kaitoke under exactly the same conditions, Mr Penn said, but it had not been possible to make further sales as th? market had shown

of weakening sharply and there was an air of uncertainty among merchants there. Supplies of new season s crop were increasing on the Sydney market.