LARGE TIMBER CARGO LEAVES FOR AUSTRALIA

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 October 1948, Page 4

LARGE TIMBER CARGO LEAVES FOR AUSTRALIA

A record timber cargo for the post-war period was taken from Greymouth by the Australian vessel Matthew Flinders, which sailed this morning for Sydney. It totalled 1,212,000 board feet, made up chiefly of sawn rimu, but small consignments, of white pine and silver beech were also included.

It is almost 13 years since a bigger timber cargo was taken from Greymouth—on November 9, 1935, when the James Cook, owned by the Sleigh Line, the operators of the Matthew Flinders, left with 1,230,000 board feet of timber for Sydney, Melbourne, and Newcastle. On that occasion, however, all of the timber was not West Coast-produced, the vessel having picked up .527,000 feet of dry matai from the North Island before commencing loading at Greymouth. . .

Record for Port

The record for the port in respect of timber carges was established by the Omana, which left Greymouth on August 26, 1923, with 1,300,000 board- feet for Australia. It is interesting to note that the Omana also sailed from Greymouth today, but on this occasion she carried coal lor Auckland. The Matthew Flinders was at Greymouth a fortnight to load her big cargo, but a considerable amount of loading time was lost through adverse weather. However, the watersiders co-operated fully when the weather improved on Saturday and worked the vessel through until 1.30 a.m. yesterday morning, to complete her loading in the hope that she would be able to sail on yesterday’s tide.

Delay- for 24 Hours

Owing to unfavourable bar conditions, a delay of another 24 hours was necessary, but with a moderation of the seas this morning it was possible to dispatch the vessel. In one respect, the bad weather which kept the Matthew Flinders in the Greymouth roadstead for almost a week, on her arrival from Wellington, was fortunate. At the time when she was scheduled to arrive, shoaling on the bar had necessitated loading restrictions 'and it was thought that her cargo would have to be cut to a maximum of 800,000 board feet. The bad weather, however, produced a flood which scoured the bar to its present excellent depth, and, instead of a reduction, it was possible to increase the quantity of timber to be taken by the vessel.