Cargo left off ship

Press, 13 July 1976, Page 1

Cargo left off ship

Nearly 900 tons of cargo destined for South Africa was left on the wharf when the Straat Clement sailed from Lyttelton last night.

The cargo, which included more than 500 tons of dried peas said to be an important part of the black South African’s diet, fell victim to a ban on all South African cargo imposed by Lyttelton watersiders at midnight on Saturday. The ban will be lifted on August 15. Auckland watersiders have imposed a similar ban.

A number of approaches from shippers to have the ban on the peas lifted were rejected by the watersiders. The union’s secretary (Mr M. E. Foster) said he was in no way convinced

that the lack of 500 tons of dried peas would jeopardise the well-being of South Africa’s black population.

Mr Foster said he suspected the controversy over the peas was simply a ploy to break the embargo. If the ban was to be effective it must be total, he said. If South Africans were brought to the point of starvation by the action of Lyttelton watersiders, then the proper thing to do would be to call in the Red Cross and United Nations because the South African Government was obviously failing in its duty to its people, said Mr Foster. “If Ecuador banned banana exports to New Zealand, we would not starve,” he added.

The Straat Clement managed to get only about 40 tons of South African cargo

loaded before the ban was imposed. As well as the peas the Straat Clement left behind 17 tons of grass seed, 321 bales of wool, 600 cartons of dried fish, and other minor items of general cargo. The ban also interfered with the discharge of about 450 tons of general cargo from South and East Africa. However, it is believed that consignments of peanuts from Botswana, pineapples from Kenya, and sisal from Tanzania were discharged. Included in the Durban cargo left in the Straat Clement’s hold were 15 granite slabs destined for Christchurch monumental masons. So far, the Straat Clement seems to be the only vessel likely to be affected by the month-long ban at Lyttelton.