OVERSEAS CARGO

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23863, 14 January 1941, Page 81

OVERSEAS CARGO

CONGESTED SHEDS

DELIVERIES HELD UP LICENSING DIFFICULTIES Congestion of overseas cargo through difficulties arising from the automatic cancellation of third and fourth period import licences, and also through lionarrival of shipping documents in man}' instances, is unabated on the wharves. One overseas vessel which had between 6000 and 7000 tons of overseas cargo has had to berth at three different wharves to discharge, arid has already left a trail of congestion at six wharf sheds. Probably two other sheds Mill he filled before the ship completes discharge. The cancellation of last year's licences is the chief cause of delivery difficulties with the cargo of this vessel. Many Special Licences

The Customs Department, facing a heavy task involved in the change in licensing conditions, is said to have issued some hundreds of special licences where importers have landed third and fourth period goods, but have no fifth period allocations. A feature of cargoes that have arrived since December 31 is the big proportion of goods that are banned under the fifth period schedule. Such goods will come on the market as the result of the issue of special licences. Kniphasin'ng the slow deliveries of goods from some sheds, one; man stated there were periods of hours when not a packet was lifted from a shed. lie pointed out that, unhss there is an exceptional speeding up of deliveries, importers will face a major problem when the Harbour Board at the end of a fortnight from the fixed mean discharge date insists on clearances of goods from sheds where demurrage rates rule. .Importers will then be faced with the difficulty of finding other accommodation at which goods can ho stored pending the settlement of delivery conditions.

Importers' Further Problem Already the problem has arisen where importers have ordered fully against fifth period allocations and are faced with the arrival at -Auckland of goods that were subject to the now cancelled third and fourth period licences. I iiless the overseas suppliers are prepared to cancel filth period orders, so 'hat the importer can set off third and iourth term goods against his allocation tor this year, goods must seemingly remain on the wharf or he shipped hack. Unfortunately, the tendency in many instances was to order the' full supplies required for 1941 immediately filth period licences were issued. FIFTH PERIOD ALLOCATIONS CONDITIONS OF EXTRA LICENCES here fifth period import allocations have been affected by the arrival of third and fourth period goods after December .'il last, the Covernment is prepared to give consideration to the issue of additional licences based on several factors. This information was given by the Minister of Customs, the Hon. W. Nash, in acknowledging a resolution on the subject of fifth period licences sent to him by the Bureau of I m porters. Jn his letter the Minister states: "The terms in which the resolution coming from the bureau is couched give me no surprise, and are obviously intended to give a totally wrong impression of the position. The procedure under which third and fourth period licences expired on December 31 and goods imported after that date were admissible only under fifth period licences was clearly explained as long ago as September last, when the fifth period schedule was released. "Since that time the question has been the subject of considerable correspondence with the bureau and chambers of commerce, and was also discussed during my visits to Auckland some time ago. Jf importers hare no fifth period allocations for the goods recently imported in the shipments referred to they will be granted special licences.

''lf they have fifth period allocations, the goods will be admitted within those allocations, and the question of granting additional allocations considered on receipt of applications. The factors that will he considered are the needs of the war, the essential nature of the goods, the funds available, and the desirability in the public interest to provide for additional imports." Commenting on the Minister's letter, the president of the bureau, Mr. Gainor Jackson, stated that by his action over third and fourth period licences Mr. Nash had cancelled out in many cases half the fifth period licences recently issued for the whole of 1941. It was no fault of traders that goods ordered under third and fourth period licences could not be landed before December 31 Inst.