BUSY PERIOD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27092, 28 May 1949, Page 8

BUSY PERIOD

PORT OF OTAGO CLIMAX REACHED YESTERDAY NO LABOUR AVAILABLE FOR FOUR SHIPS About a fortnight ago the Port of Otago entered into one of its busy periods, the climax of which appeared to have been reached yesterday. Of the eight vessels in port all day, four remained idle simply because there was not sufficient wharf labour to work them. And to complicate matters still further the coastal steamer Waimarino arrived last evening. The Birch street, Cross and Rattray street wharves and the Port Chalmers waterfront presented extremely busy scenes in marked contrast to Victoria wharf and Ravensbourne, where the Hollypark, Kurow and Holmbury lay berthed. , , . . All the Port Chalmers labour—about 170 men —was required to work on the 12,696-ton Sydney Star, which is loading about 100,000 freight carcasses and 4500 bales of wool for the United Kingdom. In addition she is loading a draft of 122 stud sheep for Montevideo, South America. Immediately upon her being finished —probably on Tuesday—all the labour will be diverted to the Port Macquarie, which is due to-day with a general cargo from the United States. This Port Line vessel will also load a full cargo at Port Chalmers, so on present indications there' will be no slackening in the work at the lower port for some time. . Nearly 130 men have been engaged for about a week working on the “ wool ship ” Malayan Prince which is lying at Birch street. She is taking on one. of the largest consignments of wool for London from Otago for several years—over 20,000 bales—about 500 tons of scrap steel and a small general shipment, in which seed peas predominate. The coastal steamers Wainui and Storm at Cross and Rattray street wharves respectively are using a further 150 men. Both the Malayan Prince and Wainui, however, are expected to sail to-day and, if so they will release 12 gangs to be available for the two coastal vessels Kanna ana Kurow at the Rattray street and Victoria wharves respectively and the Holmbury at Ravensbourne. Owned by 1 the Alexander Shipping Company, the Holmbury is under charter to the British Phosphate Commission and has 6200 tons of phosphate from Makatea to discharge both at Ravensbourne and Dunedin. Included in the cargo of the Kanna, are 16 new cars and other motor vehicles. , If the Storm'finishes on Monday then her labour will be taken over by the Hollypark, at Victoria wharf. A 7187 ton vessel of the Denholm Line, _ the Hollypark has a cargo of steel, iron and general merchandise from Port Kembla, Newcastle and Sydney. When she completes discharge she will dock at Port Chalmers for cleaning and painting. , . , , The Waimarino, which came from Auckland and Wellington last evening, berthed at Rattray street. How soon labour will be made available for hei is a matter of conjecture. • Mr A Matheson, Dunedin manager of the Waterfront Industry Commission, told the Daily Times that the wharf labourers had acquitted themselves well in the busy period. They had had to handle a lot of cargo, he said. Once the Malayan Prince, which had required a large number of men, had sailed, he considered it would ease the position on the waterfront considerably. , The total gross tonnage of the nine vessels in port is 43,512.