BATTLE OF THE CRANES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 188, 4 May 1908, Page 8

BATTLE OF THE CRANES.

ALLEY LINE'S EVIDENCE. OTHER NORTHERN OPINIONS. (BY TELEGItAPII. —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) Auckland,. May' 3.' Tho local agent for tho Alley line of steam-ships,-writing to tho Press on,tho subject of tlio handling of cargo, says tho Kazeinbo, oil' her last trip, discharged in Auckland 500 tons of timber and 320 tons of general cargo in 12 working hours. The Den of Ruthvcn discharged in Wellington 2000 tons of timber in 52.working hours. Both shins woro practically on their maiden trips, and thoir gear is of tho same up-tc-dato description; therefore, the slower, handling of tlio cargo in Wellington is duo to local causes, whatever they aro- • - . : Auckland, May 2. Tho question of tho clcctric cranes for the now wharves, which was under discussion at Tuesday's meeting of the Auckland Harbour Board, was brought up by Mr. T. Peacock at the last meeting of tiio Council of the Chamber of Commerce. There was the possibility, he said, of a lanjo expenditure oii cranos leading to additional charges, and now that the Harbour Board had dccidcd to reconsider tho matter tho Chamber might make pomo inquiry into it. • It was stated-that the largo steamers now trading to tho Dominion wore amply equipped with appliances for .working cargo, but, on tho other hand, it was said that these appliances wero not 'suitable for discharging cargo on to a double lino of railway trucks. Tho matter was ono that should bo inquired into. . Tho Chairman (Mr. J..8. Macfarlano), who is a member of the Harbour Board, explained tile advantages claimed for tho electric cranes, and said that the Board did not wish to spend a penny more than was necessary. ■ It was resolved that the matter bo referred to tho Railways and Shipping and the Importers' Committees, to act- jointly, and to have power to take what action was deemed necessary prior to the next meeting of tho Harbour Board. RAPIDITY OF HANBLINC CARCO. CONFIDENT EXPERTS. ... ' Tho systems of handling cargo in. Auckland and. in, the .southern ports, as well as the .proposal of the Auckland Harbour Board to procure thirty-six electric cranes for uso on tho new wharves, have been muchdiscussed topics in Auckland shipping and mercantile.circles of late. Tlio method employed in Wellington was referred to by Cap- 1 tain C. Croucher, Secretary: of tho Shipmasters' Association, in tlio course of conversation with an " xiuckland Star" reporter! -".The Wellington Harbour Board," ho remarked, " do tho receiving and delivering of cargo, and wo get our receipts from tho Board. They give us two-trucks if wo are 'working the ship's gear only—that is, two trucks to each winch. , If we take ono of the' crancs at 3s. 6d. an hour, wo are allowed an additional truck." Asked as to his opinion of the system, Captain Croucher declined to say whether it was good, bad, or .indifferent. The Auckland reporter's, next victim .was a gentloman largely connected with the shipping business in Auckland, and ho volunteered tlio information that sonio tinio ago the ;TJnion Company, when engaged in contesting a case in tho Arbitration Court, obtained a comparative statement of the cost of working their vessels at Dunedin, Wellington, and Auckland. Auckland proved to be tlio fastest'and the cheapest, notwithstanding tho fact that the . wharf labourers in Auckland get a higher rate of pay than in either of the other two ports. Dunediii took second place, for rapidity in handling cargoes, and Wellington was third-Mho . slowest and the most expensive, though the labourers', wages, taking-thorn all round, were less, than those paid in Auckland. Ho then instanced a case where the Wanaka had commenced discharging cargo in Auckland at 8 a.iri: on Monday, working till 5 p.m., and similarly on Tuesday, while on Wednesday work was commenced at .8. a.m. and finished two hours', later. ; Two double gangs .and two, singlo' were employed during that time, and about 2400 toils of cargo woro discharged. These figures, he explained) could' have been in-, creased considerably if they had liked to "hustle." ''Gang for gang wo can beat Wellington at any game they like; loading or unloading, it is_ just tho same." This was tho emphatic summing-up given by Mr. A. Why to, of the Auckland firm of Nearing and Co. Moreover, this- opinion was not based, on' Auckland experience alone, but on actual observations in every large port in Australasia, any many othor parts of tho world as'well. ; As far as the uso of crniies on Auckland railway wharf was' concerned, Mr. Whyto thought there should be two for each shod, with a pyramid crane at' each end. In this way it would be a simple matter to " doublebank" 'when required. Good winches and derricks;,'however, would 'work faster than any cranes. As for Wharf in Wellington, it was constructed in such a way' that , the uso of the'ships' near was almost impossible, so in tho interests of quick discharge it was necessary to uso tho cranes. The jigger cranes in use inside tlio Wellington goods sheds also came in for condemnation 'from -Mr. 'Whyte. He considered that what was needed, wero small cranes at tho shed entrances, where the carts took in their loads. These, would facilitate tho handling of heavy goods, besides' saving them from what, under present' circumstances, was an almost unavoidable tumbling about in, the course of transit from tho steamer to, the cart.