OVERSEAS SUPPING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18601, 8 July 1922, Page 6

OVERSEAS SUPPING

DISCHARGING AT DUNEDIN. ! Abominating coastal delay. TO IMPROVE DUNEDIN’S TRADE. A deputation from the various public bodies in Dunedin waited on the local repre--1 eentatives of the overseas shipping oom- ' ponies yesterday afternoon to discuss .with them a number of proposals for improving the trade of the port of Otago. Mr G. R. Ritchie, representing the Shaw, Savill and AHjjpn-Company/presided, end the other Hupping representatives present were Messrs W.-A, .Moor© and F. Tyson (Turnbull, Mar- ' tuju.andcCo.), R. W. Cameron (New Zea- ' land. Shipping Company), and D. Sharpe (Commonwealth and Dominion lino). The .deputation was introduced by the Mayor (Mr J. S. Douglas), who said it represented the Chamber of Commerce, City Council, Harbour Board, Warehousemen’s Association, Importers, and Shippers’ AssoManufacturers’ Association, Iranmastqrs’ Association; Merchants’ _ Association, General Causers’ Association, and Employers’ Association (retail branch). He ■was pleased to introduce the deputation, •'■because it showed that Dunedin was awakening to the necessity of improving its shipping facilities. There was no doubt that Dunedin had been falling behind, compared, with tie other centres, and one of the things that had been responsible was the shipping. The representatives there would, place before a them the feasibility of improving conditions. As Mayor of , the city, ! he_earnestly wished to commend the depubecause he hoped that better arrangements would be reached which would enable Dunedin to recover her old position as the chief manufacturing centre of the - dominion. * Mr C. S. Owen (president of the Chamber'of Commerce) read the following statement; '.which had been prepared by a committee of the. chamber According to the Harbour' Board returns the overseas cargo discharged at Dunedin and Port Chalmers (not including coastal or intercolonial) for the year ended December 31, 1921, amounted to 86,186 tons, of which Government coal amounted to 30,003 tons, leaving 56,185 tons. Of this amount cargo from America. South Calcutta, Singapore, Canada, etc., totalled .27,353 tons, and cargo from the United -. Kingdom 28,832 tons. The lastmentioned 28,832 tons from the United Kingdom form the subject which was remitted to us to investigate. This cargo was j brought to New Zealand by .44 steamers, ; ' which jriyes an average of only 655.27 tons i eadl.‘ rt The cargo transhipped amounted to | 1454;'.iofafl, ex 12 steamers, giving an overage S or' 121.17 tons. Thus we find that 32 steamers/ brought 27,378 tons to Otago, an average of 855.56 tons each. We have to thank. the shipping companies for supplying ns with valuable returns which have enabled ng to. ; ,analyse the position. We find the Mfgejst ; Cargo brought in one bottom was 227f1'-’tope.' Nine other steamers -brought oqrgpes .from 1000 to 1710 tons, whilst the reqbainctqr ranged from 143 to 997 tons. The ; amount transhipped ranged from 6 to 387 tons per steamer. * "Your committee has considered the complaint' so often made, as to the. length of Vibrio that goods have taken in transit, aqd'.“wh*eh is so detrimental to business. Iti’Ss v elleged that the mercantile community ha»*,rbeen seriouslv prejudiced , by goods being placed on tie market by northern tridbrs' who have been able to forestall the Dynedip merchant. It does appear to your conomittoe that there has been a spreading of .shipments, which if they could be consolidated would enable the vessels to make Dunedin the first port of call, and this point 'should, bo brought before the impqgtewjtp try and arrange a better method nosp-.'ftaa’t we are getting back to normal , conditions. Doubtless the shipping /compauies would assist by giving a roonthlv or hi-mpnthly service as warranted. Wejjow come to shipments to Rort Chal- \ mdteVand Dunedin direct. ■ To Port Chalmpre there were 11 steamers which brought 7423 tone, an average of 674.63. Of these 11’’ Steamers one had cement and came dirtdfeD She could not come up to Dunedin. -Cargo was 1196 tons. Another had only 23 tons, and the railage was paid by the,.owners,'and another had a draft of 26fij ion arrival. In some of the returns v the-.draft has been given as an indication that the vessel was, in the opinion of those fesponsible, unable to come to Dunedin. Tbe.Taot that 22 steamers came to Dunedin . wharf .and brought 19,955 tons, an average of ,907 tons, is satisfactory as far as _ but the great point is that W© - require a shortening of the time. Cf the 23,832 tons which was the total to Otago, the following are the respective percentages:—Landed at Port Chalmers; 25,746- < per cent; landed at Dunedin, 59.211 per ’cent; transhipped, 5.043 per cent. Your eqmpjtbtee anticipates that the importance tmi, .year and hereafter will be very considerably greater than during the year ~ nn^er :f review, which, .owing to the ‘prevailrogV/jecppomic causes, were unduly low. The . committee recommended a conference with .‘the shipping companies. The depuMr Owed added, wished to impress on the companies their desire that the companies should assist them in getting the time from London to delivery here re- . ... They knew the difficulties the companies had been working under during tße war, and in the years that followed it. ah’d were riot going to say anything about what had happened ip the port; but they the companies to help them as much: as, possible to meet the difficulties of the',’future. , .Mtr’* H.; C. Campbell (chairman of the V Otago Harbour Board) invited the shipping men -to study the charts of the' latest soundings in the Victoria Channel. He thought they would be agreeably surpri?®d. He hoped that’ by Christmas-time there would be a minimum depth at low water of 20ft. Mr Campbell quoted figures to’ show that of 82 "deep-water vessels which came to Otago Harbour in 1921, 26, for one 'reason or another, were discharged at PonA Chalmers. The citizens, he urged, hair borne the cost making the channel, ■whieh was costing them £IOOO a week, and it wafc not fair to make them also bear the of bringing goods up to Dunedin froih v Port., Chalmep* by rail. Cri Shacklook said he would like to im-prcM'-jbn the companies the necessity of getting delivery of foreign goods at Dunedin as speedily as possible after they had D6on snipped at London.—^Hear t hear.) Sometimes the goods were on the coast for ( as- Jong as they had been in coming to New Zealand from London. This was dptrrmcrifal to business at this end of the dominion, and he could not impress the --..position on them too strongly. .Mr Walter Gow said he took it the - amteing representatives were Dunedin men and • interested in Dunedin. He complaiired steamers loading all round the coast while Dunedin merchants were wait- ' irig tof goods out of them, stating that this enabled Wellington merchants to fill the kw£l markets with goods before the Dunedin merchants had got theirs out of the • same steamer.' This was very aggravating indeed to business men. He did not know what the remedy -was, but some remedy must be found, and the best people to do that were the shipping companies themsolves _ He suggested that a smaller class . » of steamer might bo put on the loading berth,London for cargo for this port of JOk .dominion, and that it might be possible back •to the old system of lightering tari steamer when necessary at Port Chalmers to enable her to come up to Dunedin? Mr Campbell: The wharf-lumpers won't allow it. . _ -Mr Gow said the discharge of cargo at Port Chalmers meant a difference of 3s 9cl ■—ss 7d in the freight. This was a serious matter, and if they wanted Dunedin to get along at all they must do something to remedy it. The shipping companies should consider not only their ships but also the interests of their customers. —(Applause.) SHIPPING AGENTS’ REPLY. Mr G. R. Ritchie said ho appreciated the friendly way in’ which they had put their case. He wanted them clearly to understand that the shipping companies were just as enthusiastic as they were to have matters\ improved, and, had not been sitting Still until it was necessary to call such a conference The question that, had been raised had been under consideration for many weeks, and he was very hopeful that the result would boar good fruit in .. - the near future. He took it that the most important point was the necessity for regular and prompt, shipments of goods for Otago. Speaking for the Shaw, Savill Co. and also, he thought, for-the other lines, he believed they were making efforts to return to pre-war conditions by reinstating a monthly service from London to Otago, making Port Chalmers or Dunedin the first port of call.—(“Hoar, hear”) Bluff and ■ Timaru were both acting in that direction, and if a certain amount of cargo were guarV anteed it was hoped to\ put on direct v steamers in tho near future!* That would , l V mean a return to tho position which exhv isted before 1914, and would assist in mak- '/ ing either Dunedin or Port Chalmers the firstjjws of call. The matter was in train, and-jwwy were hopeful that something would be <ugte,- but the importers themselves could / help' towards that end. As to what Mr ?«-. Gow had said about delays on tho coast, . he thought that something oould be done to ’ improve the present position. As a result of the war and it# aiwoeeding stamp im-

ports had been out down Tory much and the steamers had experienced difficulty in getting reasonable cargoes. He even knew of the Corinthio coming put in ballast —a state of affairs hitherto quite unknown. Under those circumstances it was a verygreat temptation to these steamers to put into such a port as Gisborne to lift cargo, and thus occasion delays in the vessel’s itinerary. He did not defend that procedure. Those were the facts, but he thought this sort of thing would be avoided in the future. The only other point he wished to mate was as to the question of berthing at Port Chalmers or Dunedin. Ho though the shipping companies were endeavouring at all times to bring steamers to Dunedin/ and they even did so on occasions when it was against their own interests to do so. However, he thought, the companies were willing - to set aside the- inconvenience. The companies desired to brihg the steamers to Dunedin at all times, but they could not go against their marine superintended fa and captains, witli whom the decision lay in the long run. He would advise them to get the marine superintendents to see the soundings, because they were the men who made the recommendations as to bringing the vessels to Dunedin or otherwise. The marine superintendent of his own company had the other day expressed satisfaction at the state of the channel, and he wa a recommending an increased draught over that which had previously obtained. Speaking in regard to the lightening of steamers at Port Chalmers, Mr Ritchie said that had been done in years gone by, but he did not think it was a .general practice. He added that the representations placed before them that afternoon would be brought under the notice of the principals of the various companies concerned, and he could assure them that the matters mentioned would receive sympathetic consideration.—(Applause.) i ■Mr Tyson said that when the companies had wanted to lighten the vessels at Port. Chalmers on several occasions the waterside workers hadrefused to handle the cargo. Mr Bitohie: That is so. They would not work the steamers if they knew they were coming on to Dunedin. Mr Campbell: Where do the companies consider they get the work done more quickly? Mr -tutchio: General cargo' is unloaded quicker at Dunedin, but if a vessel is discharging and at the same time taking in wool, frozen meat, and dairy produce,' etc., it can be done more quickly at Popt Chalmers. So far ns purely discharging operations were concerned' they could be done more quickly at Dunedin. Mr Gow.: And when there is a railway on the wharf the conditions will be much I improved. ! Towards the dose of the discussion Mr : Bitohie was handed a letter by Mr Sharpe, ! stating that the - Commonwealth and Dominion line was now making Dunedin the second port of discharge for its service from London to South Island ports. The average time from the steamers’ final departure till it« arrival hero would be 46 days. TELEPHONE AT POBT CHALMERS WHARF. Mr Ritchie introduced the question of providing a telephone on the wharf at Port Chalmers, pointing out the great convenience that this would bo to the shipping Companies. They would also like the Harbour Board to devise means for shifting the large crane to more than one berth. Mr Campbell; We have already considered that matter. The Harbour Board offered to pay a substantial sum towards the installation of a telephone, but the shipping companies could not unite as to their part. Mr Ritchie: I am sorry I raised the question.—(Laughter.) Mr Tyson said it was a scandalous position that it should be impossible to get into touch with vessels at Port Chalmers by telephone. The situation was quite ridiculous for a port like Dunedin. Only the other day he had to make a special trip to Port' Chalmers. Mr Campbell; The matter ( was in the hands • of the shipping companies themselves. I believe your company was prepared to assist. Regarding the crane, Mr Campbell added that the board was at present having inquiries made, and its engineer was preparing a report. He would like to see the crane shifted along the Victoria wharf and also to the deep water berth in _ Rattray _ street. The crane was only paying for working expenses, but it was coming more into favour.. - Mr T. Sotrunerville returned to the subject of the telephone at Port Chalmers, and suggested that a, resolution on the matter should be carried. To this end those present constituted themselves a meeting of the interested bodies. Mr Sommeryille then moved a resolution drawing the attention of the Railway Department to the factthat serious financial loss wos. taking place in the working of ships at Port Chalmers, owing to there being no direct telephonic communication with the export wharf, and asking the department to take the necessary steps to have the matter put right.\ : Mr A. E. Usherwood said pe understood some of the shipping companies had declined to bear their share of the cost. He asked if this was going to happen again, because, if so, there was no use passing the resolution. \ ’ Mr Summerville thought it was the duty of tlje department to provide communication with its own wharves. Mr Ritchie said he thought it would bo wise to pass the resolution. Then if the department said they wanted certain things clone they could consider the matter again. The resolution was carried.