ROMANTIC CARGOES

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 50, 27 August 1938, Page 24

ROMANTIC CARGOES

Romantic articles in plenty pass over the dock quays of the Port of London Authority. To get an idea of all the cargoes in their colour and variety handled by the P.L.A., no better list can be found than that published under the unpromising title of "Schedule of Quay Delivery Rates on , General Import Goods." It is impossible to quote extensively, says "The P.L.A. Monthly," as there are some 3000 articles listed in this schedule. Starting with '"Accumulator Boxes," the eye is soon arrested by "Agar-agar," a species of Isinglass. "Anchovies," "Antimony," "Aquaria," I etc., lead on to "Axles, perambulator, in bundles." "Bacon" is a savoury introduction to "Balata," a wild rubber from Brazil, and then we pass on to "Bark, birch," half a dozen kinds of "Beans," "Bedsteads," "Blood, dried," and "Buttermilk." As a final to the "B" Section, "Bungs" jostle "Bunting." The quay delivery rate for a corpse, we learn, is 30s. "Cumquats," a species of fruit, are charged at 10s 3d per ton. "Dragons Blood" is the fearsome name for an innocent natural gum. "Flax" to "Flycatchers," "Hams" to "Harmoniums," "Julap" neighbourly nudgt ing "Jams, in casks," —so the eye runs on. What do you think of "Manganese borate, Mangles, Mangoes, Manjak, Manna, Mantles, gas," for variety in just over an inch of a column? Under the main heading of "Paper" there are some forty odd varieties, ranging from "Emery," "Fly," "Sans," etc., to "Writing." And a perfumery essence under the delightful name of "Ylang-ylang" is a tit-bit to round off the last column. i Not even the combined fleets of Solomon, Caesar, Philip of Spain, and Elizabeth could show the variety of cargo which daily passes over the quays of the P.L.A. Lloyd's Register Wreck Returns for the quarter ended December 31 last show that the gross reduction in the mercantile marine of the world from all causes was 148 ships of 261,706 tons gross, of which 34 of 58,426 tons were British. Ships broken up, "not known to be in consequence of casualty or l stress of weather," numbered 85, of 117,575 tons gross, of which 23 of 19,940 tons were British. To replace the existing launch service between Apia and Pago Pago, the vessel Matafele is completing construction at Hong Kong for Burns, Philp, and Co., Ltd. She will carry passengers and cargo.