COASTAL SHIPPING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26473, 29 May 1947, Page 6

COASTAL SHIPPING

DELAYS BECOMING MOR . SERIOUS INDUSTRY HAMPERED SLOW TURN-ROUND OF SHIP 3 Dunedin firms which are dependent on coastal shipping have been experiencing* what they describe as “ a particularly bad time ” during the past six weeks. Some business men state that the position is worse than it has ever been before, and others are agreed that it is even more erratic than during the war years. “None of us are able to give, yoi the reasons for the poor service whicl we are receiving,” said one busines man. “All we know is that the posi tion is acute and that the time ha: arrived for some improvement to b; made. A concerted movement of al concerned to find the reasons for th< delays and to take measures to cor rect them would be warmly welcomet by shippers.” Shippers in the Dark Although all shippers who were interviewed agreed that the coastal ship ping service had deteriorated, most o them confessed that they were unablf to offer any satisfactory explanation of the delays. They pointed out that shipping companies were not,. pre pared to give publicity to.their difficulties and that, as the control ol coastal vessels was centralised in Wellington, Dunedin was not in a position to ensure even that it received its fair share of calls from the available ships. One business man pointed out that there had been a considerable increase in the amount of cargo for which transport was required ' between the two islands, caused mainly by, the growth of secondary industries in the Dominion. Transhipments ,of cargo from overseas vessels had also increased, and this tended to “squeeze out ” local cargo waiting for transfer between ports. Congestion in wharf sheds resulted in consignments being pushed back into these stores in such a way that they were blocked by goods which arrived later but had to be moved first, and changed conditions and a shortage of labour on the waterfronts had resulted in less r work being, done. “It is a real mix-up,” this shipper stated, “and it appears to be due to a combination of circumstances. The solution may be an. increase in the number of coastal vessels, but where they are to come from I don't know. ' Ships which formerly came here don’t seem to call nowadays”.!;; Another shipper said he felt sure that the slow turn-round of ships was the main cause of the present delays in the transport of goods. y -.l This man claimed that, on the coast, New Zealand was now served by larger, faster, and better equipned shins than before the war, but lie had definite information that two well-known ships on the coast had moved 70000 tons less cargo last year than in the previous vear. This was caused. , largely by hold-ups. and reduced hours of work on the waterfront. The view that the present'difficulties are explained by the slow turnround of ships is supported by Dunedin manufacturers, who are experiencing great difficulty in obtaining raw materials from northern centres, particularly Auckland'. Interests of Community Defeated Mr F. L. Hitchens, secretary of the Otago-Southland Manufacturers’ Association, in a statement to the Daily Times yesterday, said that some factories had been seriously concerned in the past with the lack of shipping space available from Dunedin, particularly as the outward, cargoes had exceeded the goods coming in. The:reverse was. now the case, how;ever, and it was considered that- even if more ships were available, the present position of industry would remain unaltered as the interests of the community were being defeated by the slow turn-round of vessels at all ports in New Zealand. - • “ Manufacturers are of the opinion that there is a point where employer and employee interests converge,” Mr Hitchens added, “and this is inseparably tied up with the availability of essentially required household commodities which are being manufactured throughout the country. It is recognised that the shipping companies are doing everything possible to assist the position, but. until all sections of the community realise their responsibility as citizens and adopt a commonsense attitude towards the vital question of soeedy transport and the handling of cargoes, chaotic conditions must be the inevitable result.”