LYTTELTON CARGO

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32677, 5 August 1971, Page 5

LYTTELTON CARGO

Drop to end of July

Although cargo handled at Lyttelton showed a decrease of 16,486 tons at the end of last month, the chairman of the Lyttelton Harbour Board (Mr F. I. Sutton) said yesterday that he thought the figures at the end of the financial year in two months would be another record. The drop in tonnage wasi mainly a result of less fertiliser being imported and: less meat exported, the assis-: tant-general manager (Mr J. A. McPhail) said at a meeting of the board. There had been two bulk cargo vessels and a tanker in the port and their cargo was not included in the

figures. Mr A. A. Macfarlane asked if the drop in fertiliser imports was a loss of this trade to Timaru. Timaru had maintained its fertiliser trade, but had not increased it, Mr McPhail replied. He thought the cause was that less fertiliser was being used in the district served by the board. New fertilisers were coming on the market which were more concentrated, Mr J. E. Mannering said. This meant that farmers were using less in terms of tonnage.