MEAT AND WHEAT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26410, 14 March 1947, Page 3

MEAT AND WHEAT

SHIPPING AT OAMARU Mr J. B. Chapman made an appeal to the North Otago Progress League on Wednesday night for support to the Oamaru Harbour Board’s, endeavour to have frozen meat from the Pukeurt works—about 6000 tons a year—shipped at Oamaru instead of railing it to Port Chalmers or Timaru. ' ~, , Mr D. S. Bain said the Shipping Allotment Committee was awaiting an announcement from the Government on tire policy of the centralisation or decentralisation of shipping. , , Mr T. R. Beatty said that in view of this fresh information they should support the Harbour Board in an endeavour to assist the Government at arriving at a solution of the problem. Sometimes there was a shortage of labour, but this would not occur if there was a reasonable amount of shipping at the port. They should let the Government see that they were thinking about the return of shipping to the port. Mr A. R. Tait said he agreed with the suggestion made by Mr C. J. Dugdale at the last meeting of the Harbour Board, that a conference of local bodies should be held to make representations to the Government. The league should support the board, and if requested by the board it could send a delegate to Wellington. Mr Beatty suggested that the board could get in touch with other boards in a similar position and send a strong deputation to Wellington. Mr Tait said it was disappointing to have the last two shipments of Australian wheat brought in through Timaru. They had not received an explanation why the last boat did not come to Oamaru.

The executive was authorised to cooperate with the Harbour Board in taking the matter up with the Minister of Health, Mr Nordmeyer.