DELAYS TO SHIPPING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21113, 22 February 1932, Page 11

DELAYS TO SHIPPING.

EFFECT OF RESTRICTIONS.

TOO MANY COASTAL CALLS.

OVERSEAS MASTER'S VIEWS. "No other country'in the world, so far as my experience goes, places such restrictions upon the quick despatch of shipping as does New Zealand," said the master of a large overseas passenger liner trading to New Zealand, who contrasted the conditions in such ports as London and those of New Zealand. The master said that when a vessel loaded in London for New Zealand, through skilful organisation and "working round the clock" she could take a cargo on board in four days and be ready for sea. Making no allowance for time lost between New Zealand ports of discharge here, it would take nearly a fortnight to discharge that cargo in the Dominion, although, of the two operations, the discharging one should be the quicker. A 24 hours day for port working was almost world-wide. Even in Australia, where waterside labour was hedged round with, a host of restrictions, vessels were able to keep their winches going from the time of arrival until they sailed. Thus it was that ships of his own and other lines could get much quicker despatch in tho Commonwealth. It was not the ideal from the point of view of the crew, who naturally looked forward to a spell ashore, but this speed of despatch meant much, not only to tho shipping companies, but to all sections of the community. Keeping Freights High.

Only in one New Zealand port, the captain said, had his ship worked round the clock, and that was at Opua, where apparently no labour awards placed time limits or prohibitive wage limits upon continuous loading. These limitations had an undoubted effect upon the freight charges, both inward and outward. While costs generally were coming down, it was impossible to foresee a reduction in freights so long as shipping, with its huge capital cost, was kept lying idle unnecessarily. More particularly was this so when inward cargoes were so scarce that a large percentage of steamers was coming here in ballast to pick up homeward cargoes, and their owners had to be content with one-way revenue. The captain said it was the. general opinion of those controlling overseas shipping that the one prospect at present for improvement, for both shippers.and com panies, lay in the speeding up of round voyages. This could not bo done economically by increasing the number of knots at sea. It must bo achieved by shortening the time at this end, and by lessening the expense incurred here. It had been no uncommon thing for a British vessel, during her several weeks of discharging and loading round the coast, to make disbursements of £20,000, exclusive of ship's wages. It might be argued that this money benefited New Zealand, but in the end it had to come out of the pockets of New Zealand shippers and producers. Coastal Feeder Service. This master mariner, with years of experience in the trade from Britain to Australia and New Zealand, could see two methods by which shipping costs conld be cut down appreciably, and from which undoubted benefits would accrue. "I do not know all the ins and outs of your labour laws here," he said,. " but it certainly seems necessary, if you are to keep pace with other ports, and not burden yourselves in competition, that you should make waterside labour available at all hours, without outrageous charges for overtime. This can be done elsewhere. Why not here ?" One result would bo that the faster modern vessels, which now made throe or almost three round trips a year, would be able to do at least three and a-half, or even four. This was dependent also upon another contingency. Tho multiplicity of loading ports must bo cut out. This caused needless expense and delay in the working of a modern vessel, upon which interest and running charges were as high as £SOO a day. Tho only natural solution, was the running of a feeder service from the roadstead ports to the main centres. This would mean the provision of a few smaller insulated, although not necessarily refrigerated, craft, maintained' in New Zealand. Were it possible to operate these at a wage level adjustable to existing financial conditions, there would be a decided saving in time and costs for the big liners and modern motor freighters, all eventually reflecting itself in better conditions for Dominion exporters and importers. It was, he admitted, a big problem, but, he felt sure the shipping people wero prepared to tackle it, 'provided the questions of coastal wages, local labour costs and hours of work were efficiently and satisfactorily regulated.