TARAKOHE CEMENT SUPPLY: DELAY TO SHIPPING

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 September 1947, Page 10

TARAKOHE CEMENT SUPPLY: DELAY TO SHIPPING

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 2

There was a brisk discussion on the transport of cement from Tarakohe in the House of Representatives today while Mr M. Moohan (Govern-? ment,' Petone) was speaking. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr S. G. Holland/ questioned whether the best use .'was being made of the available ships. z ' - Mr Moohan said cement supplies for Wellington and the South Island depended to a large degree on Tarakohe, which was a difficult port and limited to ships with a tonnage of 500. New Zealand was short of those ships. Mr Holland: It is not the filling of the ships that’s the trouble. It’s the emptying. .Mr Moohan said the ships at Tarakohe were loaded at the rate of 50 tons an hour, and cement was not dumped into the holds but stacked. Mr Holland said the ships made fewer trips. How could that be explained? ■ s Mr Moohan said cement ships had not suffered any delay at Wellington over the last three months. Whatwas wanted to improve-the cement position was more 500-ton ships. • Mr W. S. Goosman (Opposition, Piako): Why load at the rate of 50 tons and unload at 20?

Mr Moohan replied that the ships were not properly constructed for this particular work. The maximum use of cement ships would be made to maintain supplies.