Handling Lyttelton’s Cargo

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30900, 5 November 1965, Page 16

Handling Lyttelton’s Cargo

The 22 per cent increase in the cargo handled at Lyttelton last month is a main cause of the delays in the railway goods sheds which are affecting importers, manufacturers, and carriers. The increased flow of cargo, mainly iuward, across the Lyttelton wharves is in line with the greater activity in other New Zealand ports, reflected in the higher import figures in recent months. To a large extent, therefore, cargo handling problems at Lyttelton and Waltham are symptoms of an economy at full—inflationary—stretch. This is no consolation to the consignees who have already been put to inconvenience and expense through the delays, and who face the prospect of weeks or months of delayed consignments. The bottleneck has now moved from Lyttelton to Waltham. A week ago one or two ships were anchored in the stream each day awaiting berths; by Wednesday of this week all ships were berthed and manned. While the extra berthage provided by Cashin quay was a means of quickly reducing the congestion of shipping, it has increased handling problems elsewhere. Not until all the handling, storage, and transport facilities for the eastern extension of the harbour are in use will the full benefits from Cashin quay be felt. In the meantime, hundreds of railway waggons remain to be unloaded. Early this week the Railways Department was unloading waggons and sorting the cargo at the Waltham yards at about the same rate as the waggons were arriving in the yards. The additional labour for which officials were then searching should soon be available; university students who have finished their examinations are expected to fill most of the 50 vacancies. Even an extra 50 workers in the sheds will not solve the problem, however. Unless goods are cleared from the sheds as fast as they are sorted, they must be piled in higher stacks; and the higher the stacks, the slower the loading vn to carriers’ and consignees’ trucks. Consignees will serve their own interests best by ensuring that their goods are cleared from the yards as soon as they are available. Late production of documents necessary to obtain a clearance or failure to take advantage of the extended delivery hours being worked in the sheds would frustrate the efforts of the extra workers.

Nothing can be gained from attempting to apportion the blame for the hold-up, which is a consequence of the arrival of a record volume of cargo at Lyttelton before the port extensions are complete. Comparable circumstances may not arise again for many years. Local transport services and commercial interests can reasonably expect faster deliveries from the port when Cashin quay and the road tunnel are brought into full use.