RIMUTAKA CARGO

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 January 1939, Page 5

RIMUTAKA CARGO

I'N LOA DI NG 01 ’ERAT IO NS

(per PRESS ASSOCIATION. I

AUCKLAND, January Hi. 'The unloading of cargo damaged by

lire in I lie upper I ween deck of No 3

hold iii the liner Rimtilnka continued till day. Most of il has now been soried in a sited on the wharf, bnl a portion remains to bo removed before attention cun be turned io the I wo lower deck-; of (tie hold.

New items in the cargo unloaded today included a largo number of cases of drapery piece goods, halos of paper, rolls of insulated wire, tins cd’ still, jars of moat extract, drums of while lead, copper plates, 12 roils of newsprint. cases of telephone equipment, electric cookers and several crates of plants and trees. Practically everything showed signs of damage by fire and water. It is feared that all the electrical equipment has been seriously damaged by heat. Strangely enough, a number of cardboard packages of matches did not appear to have caught fire, possibly through having boon reached first by water. Waterside workers unloading the cargo from the hold are being paid .in extra (Id. an hour, on account of the dirty conditions, caused largely by the charred and sodden woodwork of the packing eases. Men handling l lie damaged cargo on Hie wharf are receiving an extra Id. an hour. The cargo is being grouped in a wharf shed tiecording to port of consignment, where this is discernible. The southern porlion will later be reloaded into Hie ship. When the parcel mail carried in Hie lower tween deck of No. I! hold was examined by postal officers. it was seen I hat, some of il had boon damaged by water, while some parcels appeared to have suffered from heat. The extent of Hie damage will not lie known until the mail is collected by addressees from the parcel post office in the normal way.

A start will probably be made tomorrow with unloading cargo from the lower I ween deck, the middle of Hie three sections of Hie hold. A number of cased motor-ears are in this section. in which there are also many ‘bales of wallboard, some tinned goods, and general cargo. In Hie lowest, section of the hold there is a large con signmcnl of asphalt for Wellington, carried in drums. Had Hie lire reached this, the consequences might have been very serious. Other cargo in this section includes bales of knitting wool, Hies, and cases of drapery and tobacco. It will probably he al; least, a fortnight before insurance claims are sufficiently advanced to allow of the Auckland porlion of the damaged cargo being auctioned on the wharf. Work in connection with the 10 per cent, general average declared on the cargo in Hie vessel, is keeping the New Zealand Shipping Company’s staff exceedingly busy. Many thousands of forms will have io be completed. A number of importers visited the wharf to see if the goods consigned to them were among the damaged cargo. Consignees are concerned as to whether they will be able to reorder damaged property under their quotas. The Collector of Customs at Auckland has

written to Wellington for instructions on this matter, but lias not so far received advice.