IMPORTERS AND SHIPPERS

Evening Star, Issue 22954, 11 May 1938, Page 13

IMPORTERS AND SHIPPERS

MEETING OF ASSOCIATION The monthly meeting of the executive of the Otago Importers and Shippers’ Association was held in the secretary’s office last evening. The correspondence included a letter from the Minister of Railways (Mr D. G. Sullivan) stating that he had gone carefully into the associations request for a train for the north to leave Dunedin on Mondays about 11.39 a.m., and regretted that the result of his inquiries did not justify the expense of running such a train. . A letter was received from the British Steam Navigation Company advising that it proposed berthing the Nardana again this year and hoped to get her away from Khoramshahr with a shipment of dates on _ October 27, which should land them in good time for the Christmas trade. A copy of a commhnclation from the Australian and New Zealand Merchants and Shippers’ Association to the secretary of the New Zealand Importers’ Federation regarding the late arrival of documents was read. The writers stated that they were fully alive to the necessity for ensuring the prompt arrival of ' documents, and pointed out that the ship’s bag was . always available to shippers. In those cases where it was impossible to pre- j pare documents in time for the ship’s bag the only solution was the use of air mail, and shippers were willing to send by this route provided the importer paid the cost. The Otago Harbour Board’s new bylaw No. 30, which had been explained by the board’s chairman at the last ! meeting of the Chamber of Commerce. , was discussed. The acting secretary J

said that he had interviewed the board’s secretary, who had reiterated what the chairman had said, viz., that the board had no desire to harass legitimate importers, and that the harbour master had authority to allow a certain amount of latitude where importers could submit a reasonable claim for such. Where delay occurred through congestion or faulty sorting, complaints should be lodged with the board, who would endeavdur to rectify matters. The question of sub-orders was also discussed, and members who have any difficulty in this respect are requested to communicate with the secretary of the association. During the meeting the acting secretary read a letter written by Mr Wood (the secretary) from Vancouver and conveying greetings to members of the executive. Mr Wood was to leave Montreal for Liverpool on May 6, and expected to reach London about May 16.