HANDLING OF CARGO ON N.Z. COAST; A MASTER’S COMMENT

Wanganui Chronicle, 9 November 1949, Page 7

HANDLING OF CARGO ON N.Z. COAST; A MASTER’S COMMENT

DUNEDIN, Yesterday (PA).—• While there were instances where cargoes were handled expeditiously and the ship was promptly turned round, there were many others in the opposite category, stated Captain H. Johnson, master of the 10,000 ton cargo steamer, City of Calcutta, during his recent visit to Port Chalmers. He said he had then been 42 days on the New Zealand coast unloading portion of the 7000 ton cargo whi?h had occupied eight days, and one night to load. The cargo, a large portion of which was bagged linseed and newsprint, was loaded at three ports on the St. Lawrence, Canada. The steaming time between ports was included in the period mentioned he added. It took much longer to load cargo than to discharge it. Captain Johnson said, as it had to be properly stored. After 42 days in the Dominion he still had over 1000 tons to discharge at Lyttelton before leaving for Australia where he had about 6000 tons of cargo to unload. He admitted that much of the trouble in the Dominion was due to a shortage of labour, and again delays resulted from the fact that the wharf sheds were usually crammed with merchandise, and there was no space available into which he could unload. Some of his cargo was newsprint, and when it was raining he could not dump it on to the open wharves. In one instance space was so congested he had to arrange for motor trucks to take the cargo away. It was high time, he said, that all those who were associated with the Waterfront Industry realised that wasted time meant higher import costs, and higher prices to the consumer. In the final analysis the public paid. If too much time was wasted in the turn round of the ship it only meant that the shipping companies had to raise the freights They could not operate at a loss. In the head office of his company, in Britain, there were 300 employees alone. These had to be paid, overseas agents had to be paid, and also the ships crews and the ships themselves had to earn all this money. The ships being built today had more modern equipment and were faster than those of a decade ago. What was the use of budding to cut down time occupied by the voyage when after reasonably speedy loading, delays were experienced at this end. One cancelled out the other. Captain Johnson said he had not been to Port - Chalmers for 1G years, but the handling of cargo today was no better f ilm it was then.