Meat Loader Saves £l00,000 A Year

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30128, 11 May 1963, Page 10

Meat Loader Saves £l00,000 A Year

(New Zeafqpo Association/ WELLINGTON, May 10l At least £lOO,OOO a year has been saved in handling charges for the loading of meat into overseas ships at Bluff by the introduction of the all-weather loading berth at the port

The new berth and the results so tar obtained from it were described by the sec retary of the Harbour Association <Mr R E. Dawson) in a paper delivered to the Wellington section of the New Zealand Division of the Institute of Transport tonight Just as the Introduction of the train and car ferry Aramoana was the most important single development tn New Zealand's coastal trade for a very long time, so the meat loading project at Bluff was the most important and interesting development in loading overseas vessels tor many years he said. Mr Dawson predicted that the Bluff installation would cut the cost of loading meat from 51s Id a ton to about 25s a ton The saving should more than cover the charge for using the loaders In addition a vessel's pro-fit-earning caoscitv would be improved because of a quicker turn-round which would give direct savings of demurrage wages, maintenance and other charges Ships would be saved more than 100 days a veer.

"At a minimum estimate of £ 100 b a day. savings must add up to a very considerable total when the question of freight rates is being negoti ated between the Conference Lines and the New Zealand producer boards," Mr Dawson said.