50 PER CENT BETTER JOB

Northern Advocate, 13 March 1948, Page 6

50 PER CENT BETTER JOB

Mr Appleton considered that if given sufficient fertiliser Northland could produce as much as the rest of the Dominion together, but it had to obtain the material to enable it to realise its potentialities. Mr L. Marqaand, a merchant’s representative, said the way the fertiliser had been unloaded at Whangarei had been of great assistance in handling the cargo, and it was hoped that many more ships loaded with North African fertiliser would arrive in Whangarei. Merchants would do all they could to see that further supplies were brought.

“The ship has been news, and the stevedores have done a great job,” said Mr S. Blow, a company representative.

“They’ve ‘had’ Mr Barnes (waterside workers’ president), and I think that he’s ‘had’ them,” he continued. ‘To come to a port like this and find

cooperation and assistance has been most welcome.”

Half the ship’s cargo had been unloaded in turn weeks in Whangarei, compared with four weeks required in Auckland. Amenities at the Kioreroa Wharf left much to be desired, but increased traffic to the port undoubtedly would bring improvements. The work had been greatly implemented by the cooperation given by transport operators, both road and rail.

“Compared with Whangarei the unloading at Auckland was a poor show,” commented Mr G. Todd, an importers’ representative. ‘“Whangarei has shown that the cargo can be handled 50 per cent better.

“I wish that throughout New Zealand the men on the wharves would work as well as they have done in Whangarei.” He did not think a better discharge could have been effected anywhere in Australia or New Zealand, and it was a pity more ports were not so well worked.

Mr C. V. Stringer said that the Whangarei Chamber of Commerce was keenly interested in the development of the port and its facilities, and the visit of the Cape York was most welcome.

“The reputation of the Whangarei Harbour has been besmirched by some people but they have been proved to be wrong,” he added. Speaking for Harbour Board workers,* Mr M. A. McKenzie praised the work of the men working the cargo at Whangarei. The watersiders had said they would see the Cape York had a good turn-round and they had done a great job. Mr A. C. Pryde. a transport representative, considered that Whangarei was the focal point for Northland distribution and said that the district operators would cooperate in handling any further cargoes which it was hoped would be imported.