PRODUCE HELD UP.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 December 1923, Page 4

PRODUCE HELD UP.

WATERSIDERS’ HOLIDAY. CHRISTMAS EVE STOPPAGE. BALANCE SENT BY TRAIN. Because of the decision of the waterside workers at New Plymouth to have a half-holiday on Christmas Eve, the consignment of 7'045 boxes of butter which the Corinna was loading for transhipment to the Ruahine at Wellington, was fehort shipped by 1644 boxes. Tn an endeavour to catch the Ruahine, which sails for England tomorrow. the butter was railed to Wellington yesterday. ’When it was seen on Monday morning that the loading of the Corinna could not be completed, by I’2 o’clock, at which hour the watersiders had decided to ceahe work, stock was taken of the quantity of butter remaining to be put on ‘board. It was found that the gangs employed would be able to complete the shipment by between one and two o’clock, and the men were therefore aske<J if they would work on. They declined to do so, although they would have been entitled to double pay .for meal hour work, viz., 5s for the hour. One man inquired why they had been put oil at three o’clock on Saturday afternoon, and wiftis told that that was because no more produce had been available from the freezing works at Moturoa on that day. A further appeal to the men .proving futile, the only alternative to holding the Corinna at New Plymouth over the holidays and

missing the Ruahine • with the whole shipment was to send her away short shipped of the two trucks of butter remaining- ,

If the boxes railed to Wellington fail to connect with the Ruahine. the dairy farmers of Taranaki, the English merchants and their New Zealand agents will be put to considerable inconvenience, apart from any actual loss that may result. Tn most cases the companies 'and the agents interested in the shipment would have taken out the shipping papers, insurances and bank drafts before it was known that the Corinna would be loaded short. When tnat became known there would be the x. rther difficulty of ascertaining how much butter of the different companies’ brands was included in the 164-1 boxes left behind. Until the butter is placed on board the Ruahine, or until the vessel sails without it, the position is very uncertain for the business people concerned.