SHIPPING AFFECTED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18690, 22 April 1924, Page 8

SHIPPING AFFECTED.

DELAYS TO STEAMERS. PASSENGERS FOR SOUTH. ROUTE VIA NEW PLYMOUTH. The strike will interfere with shipping at Auckland, and will cause a considerable delay to vessels in port. Five large steamers are now discharging or loading from railway trucks. The aggregate cargo being handled by the vessels totals many thousands of tons. The Waitemata is discharging about 5000 tons of Nauru Island phosphates, and the Port Caroline 1,300,000 ft. of hardwood timber from Bunbury. The Hauraki has a quantity of coal to discharge from Newcastle. The Ruahine and the Port Wellington are discharging merchandise from England. 1 The Ruahine and the Otaki are both to load a large quantity of refrigerated cargo at this port. As that particular kind of cargo is taken to the ship's side in special railway waggons, the work will probably have to be suspended. Another vessel that will be affected to a lesser degree by the strike is the Tofua. She is arriving this morning from Fiji with a cargo of fruit. A quantity of the fruit for inland towns will be prevented from reaching its destination unless it can be forwarded by motor-lorry. The strike will not make any difference to the fruit consigned to Wellington, as the Atua is now loading at Auckland, and will take consignments for southern ports. The stoppage of the Main Trunk expresses will force intending travellers to seek other means of going south. The only alternate route at present is by the Rarawa to New Plymouth, and thence by motor. The extra passenger traffic by this route will no doubt be heavy. The suddenness of the strike has prevented any definite arrangements being made to run passenger steamers between Auckland and the South. If the trouble is likely to be prolonged it is understood that, .sufficient passenger steamers will be commissioned to cope with the traffic. It is possible that the Rarawa may run right through to Wellington. She is scheduled to leave Onehunga for New Plymouth | this afternoon, but as her accommodation is practically booked up with Taranaki and Wanganui passengers it is not likely that she will go right through this trip*. Before the Main Trunk was built between Auckland and Wellington all passenger traffic between the two ports was carried by steamer. As a considerable amount of work is required to put a passenger vessel in commission, it may be some days before a coastal, passengers' service will be in full working order. In any case, it is not yet certain what action the shipping companies will take in the matter.