KARAMEA DESPATCHED

Taranaki Daily News, 30 November 1932, Page 9

KARAMEA DESPATCHED

MEAT CARGO COMPLETED. FARMERS WORK? THROUGHOUT DAY Punctually at midnight last night the last of the motor vessel Karamea’s cargo of meat from New Plymouth was loaded into the. hold and the 100 farmers who had toiled for a day and a-half as wharf labourers ceased work. Eight hours’ work was done from 1 o’clock on Monday, and yesterday the gangs were busy from 8 to 5 and from 6 till midnight. The Karamea was able to sail for Wellington at 1.30 this morning, only 34 hours behind the scheduled time.

Loading continued into one hatch yesterday at 8 a.m. and was carried on throughout the day. Although fee work was not completed by 9 p.m. as expected, the last sling going aboard at midnight, the pace set after tea was good. A further gang was sent into the hatch and the work below then kept pace with that on the wharf.

Following the completion of the loading of the Karamea’s Nev/ Plymouth complement of 13,000 freight carcases the free labourers were paid on the vessel early this morning. A hundred men received wages amounting in some cases to near £3 5s for about 22 hours’ work. The amount of money paid out must have approximated £2OO. The officers of the ship and the foremen stevedores expressed their satisfaction with the work done. Although tho wharf gangs had been delayed somewhat by the inexperience of the workers below, the use of “dunnage” and the stowing away below deck of the carcases even became more familiar. The winchmen were all new to the work but the Karamea’s electric winches made control simple.

» At 1.30 the labourers left in cars and two buses provided and were taken along the main road, which yesterday morning was cleared of tacks. No trouble was experienced during the day at the barricade and the situation was unchanged in the evening. The .cars were -convoyed by a constable and the trip to town produced no incident.

The Port Fremantle arrived at New Plymouth yesterday morning to load 10,000 boxes of butter, 10,000 crates of cheese, and 5000 freight carcases of meat. When labour was engaged at 8 o’clock the men accepted for the dairy produce, but there was no call for labour to load meat. This was partly owing to the fact that there were no trucks available. It is expected that the loading of meat will commence to-morrow. The loading of the dairy produce continues normally.