Mataura Loses Time At London Docks

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31729, 12 July 1968, Page 20

Mataura Loses Time At London Docks

(N.Z.P.A. Staff Correspondent) LONDON, July 10. The New Zealand Shipping Company’s latest refrigerated cargo ship Mataura which arrived in London on its maiden voyage from New Zealand in 25 days after loading 5674 tons of refrigerated cargo and 1204 tons of general cargo in the fast time of 11} working days, is languishing at the London docks still loaded.

The ship arrived last Sunday and, although three working days have come and gone, a company official said there was still no sign of labour becoming available to work it.

The Mataura carries more than 313,500 carcases of frozen lamb which were loaded from the South Island by the all-weather mechanical meat loaders at Timaru and Bluff. Before the introduction of the “two-port” system, the ship would probably have taken more than three weeks to load and might well have loaded at three or more ports in the South Island. As the company official pointed out: “We make gains at the New Zealand end only to be stymied here. Labour difficulties at British ports are now our major worry.” Unrest among dockers at ports throughout the country has been interrupting the smooth transportation of goods now for almost a year. Although the situation has probably been worse at Liverpool than at any other centre, no port has entirely escaped. The labour position Is aggravated during the summer by the holiday season and high absenteeism. More Trouble More trouble appears to lie ahead. Yesterday, nearly 4000 London dockers and stevedores voted overwhelmingly to continue their four-year-old ban on working week-ends —a decision which many shipping authorities believe could seriously hamper the development of container ships coming into the port.

Greater use of container ships is scheduled for next year, and their success depends on a quick turn-round Mr J. Tovey, chairman of the London Ocean Trades' employers. said last night: “This

decision is regrettable, as it will make London less competitive with other ports who have this facility, and particularly with the Continental ports.”

The men were obviously worried that “containerisation” would create possible redundancies. “We must prove to them that the maintenance of the present level of trade does depend on the successful introduction of containerisation,” he said.

The men belong to the National Amalgamated Steve dores and Dockers. The Transport and General Workers’ Union has a more flexible policy on overtime working. Dock Leader Mr J. Dash, the London dock leader—who incidentally has been working in one of the gangs unloading frozen meat from the Tekoa, another New Zealand Shipping Company vessel which is berthed in front of the Mataura—faces five days suspension because

of activities in supporting the move to keep the ban. About four weeks ago it was estimated that slow working at docks throughout Britain was causing serious delays in getting New Zealand lambs into the meat trade at a time when arrivals from New Zealand were at a peak. Estimates of quantities in the docks then varied between one million and two million carcases. The situation today is probably no better. It is apparent, too, that the much-publicised mechanical meat loaders both at London and Liverpool are not working as well as they should be. This is partly because of the need to “sort” a considerable number of different brands and grades as carcases are being unloaded. Some shipping authorities believe the answer either lies in sorting the grades at the New Zealand end, or building sufficient cool store space at docks in Britain where sorting could then take place.