LOADING OF MARIPOSA STARTS

Chronicle (Levin), 5 July 1946, Page 4

LOADING OF MARIPOSA STARTS

-Press Association

By Telearavh-

AUCKLAND, July f. At a stopwork meeting tliis mormng, the watersiders uecided to aeeept' the recommeudatiou of the offic-ials of the t | national uniou to load the butter on ! the Maripor Loading began at one jxi'eloek thi^ at'ternoou. The vessel will probabiy sail late on Saturday. Because butter was despatched to the United States forces, the watersiders have decided to reeommend to the Government that the butter ration in New Zealand be increased. Work had been earried out on the Mariposa's f orward hateh in handling the ship's stores and other cargo and at one o'clock the watersiders started to load the after hatcli with butter. Heveral liundred iuterested lunch hour spectators had eome to the liner's berth to watcli proeeedings and as they were hampering loading preparations, the berth was eleared and barriers erected. Geveral hours' time was lost this after- , noon and evening bv rain and as a * strong wind was holding tlie big liner off the wharf, the llarbour Board crany • could not swing its cargo .down the liatcli. Lifts of 40 boxes to tlie trav were taken by the crane to the deck where the ship 's gear was used to lower them into tlie hateh. This eonsiderably delayed the work already slowed duwu -by the fact that the .Mariposa, with small refrigerated boxes. is not coustrueted to handle in-avy ])todtu*e cargoes.