COASTAL SHIPPING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26229, 13 August 1946, Page 6

COASTAL SHIPPING

A SERIOUS SHORTAGE PREVALENCE OF CARGO PILLAGING “We regret that our members, who are amongst the largest of both shippers and receivers of * coastwise' cargo, have still legitimate cause for complaint regarding the short and, at times intermittent, supply of tonnage available for anything like the normal carrying-on of their important and frequently pressing business. We have naturally taken the matter up with the coasting companies concerned, but with little, if any, improvement. It is to be feared, therefore, that when the seasonal shipping of local produce comes again, the position must inevitably grow worse. This is a passage contained in the twenty-seventh annual report of the Otago Importers and Shippers’ Association. The report adds that it can be fairly said that the South Island is not as well provided for as the North Island in coastal tonnage, and states that this is an unfair position. "An essentially serious position, due to world-wide tonnage difficulites, has been certainly aggravated by all the frequent troubles with waterfront and seagoing labour,” continues the report. " Work has been held up entirely pending settlements of what were at times trifling disputes, and here again this very serious trouble to the public interests throughout the whole Dominion shows little sign of improvement, in spite of the fact that rates of pay and conditions for wharf and seagoing work must be considered satisfactory to those engaged." Reference is made to “the alarming increase in pillage of cargo at present being handled on the coast, which, so far from lessening, has rather been aggravated during the past year, reaching in some instances what might be termed incredible proportions.” Instances where the entire contents of packages had been pillaged, and also other instances of packages containing goods: in short supply having completely disappeared, are cited in the report, which advocates that concerted action by the shipping companies, their local agents, and the police should be more effective than at present. 1 It adds: In a recent judgment given by Mr-Justice Finlay he referred to this pillaging of cargo as theft, which (t undoubtedly is." . , The report concludes by saying that the question of claims on damaged cargoes had been one of the major interests of the association. In cases where the ship’s agents had definitely declined to meet certain claims and the dispute had been brought to the association, satisfactory settlements had been eventually arranged.