BUTTER CARGO SHIFTED

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19807, 24 May 1934, Page 8

BUTTER CARGO SHIFTED

FEAR OF TAINT FROM OIL FUMES. By Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, May 23. Owing to the odour of oil fumes being detected in the lower hold of No. 3 hatch in the motor ship Port Hobart at the Central Wharf, all the butter cargo in the hold was discharged during the day to permit investigations to be made. The vessel arrived from Napier early in the morning and she is completing her cargo at Auckland. Loading operations were commenced shortly after 8 o’clock, and when the work had been in progress for about two hours the odour of oil fumes was noticed by the waterside workers in the hold. As soon as the matter was reported to the officers of the ship the loading was stopped and arrangements were made to empty the hold by transferring the butter to No. 2 hatch. This was done with two of the Harbour Board’s cranes. After the hold was emptied steps were taken to lift some of the wooden flooring to see if there was a lead in the top of the oil fuel tanks in the double bottom of the hull under the hold. When the trouble has been remedied the loading of butter will be resumed.