FRUIT CARGOES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 918, 10 September 1910, Page 10

FRUIT CARGOES.

HOW THEY ARE HANDLED. COMPLAINTS BY AUCTIONEERS. Local auctioneers are strongly of opinion that, there' is room for a great. deal of improvement,in the manner in which fruit.is handled by the employees, of the Wellington Harbour Board.' . 'One firm complains that- though'the Mokoia arrived . t'i'oin the Cook Islands at a fairly early, hour un. I'riday morn-, ing, and was discharging at 10 a.m., they did not ge,t. the last ,of : the shipment until three days . after, the arrvial of the steamer. Inspection, of course,-, caused part of the delay, but that, was hampered, it, is said, by the chaotic manner in which the fruit was handled on the; : wharf, regardless of marks. ..The firmin question .pujs. a inun il a day.; to direct:, the fruit' according .to .its mark, but when he .interfered, .his directions were paid little heed to by the truckers. The lumpers,' it is alleged, stood on stacks of fruit on the ship ..while at work feeding the shoots, and not Infrequently, their heavy boots broke" through a case, and -part .of it? contents would be, lost: The shoot is "said to rest. on cases, of fruit, and there ;are other ' indications of carelessness in the bandlingof. the fruit that could: be obviated. .' The: merchants in-.'. Auckland received .quicker '.'dispatch' with their'fruit than' was the case in. Wellington, and' if.. this. port was'' goingto hold its own it,would have to.improve its methods. Then there -.is 1- said .to .be an alarming ampunt of thieving going on, either on ; the boat or oh thevwharf,or both. ...■; - ; > ;VV:i-' ■:■'';' '-■■.

I.To obtain- quicker dispatch, one.'genllem'ah.'suggests building,, a.shed . on : : the Clyde' Quay 'Wharf,' and: .using, that for the- discharge, of. .fruit by the ; Island boats. . If. the; steamer .were, given 'a clear wharf and a'-clear shed, the'.stack;ink.' of frait by! the ..mark ■. might, be achieved.,.. . ~-j. rr ; "..: ; ':. : ..-

.-.; .THE OTHER SjDE.-;:';. STATEMENT BY: ; :... HARBOUR; BOARD.';", -, ...f; . The foregoing: statements were', referred by a representative of The Dominionlyesterday to Mr. R. Fletcher/' chairman of .the Harbour Board, for reply. Mr. Fletcher said that he had had something like twenty-eight 'years' observation of the methods adopted at Wellington with regard to the handling of fruit discharged at the wharves, and he did not agree with the' statements: made.' ~Everything:. that could possibly bt> done to ■ euik the convenience of business firms: and accelerate the handling.-, of cargo was' : . being' done, and- he: personally did not- think ;cbnsignesshad Uuything to complain of, ;rThe board's officials went, .out" of : to -classify'.the' various consignments"';according ;to : marks,, so that a man .could get at-liis .various, lots without delay; lAs to' the handling of the cases during'discharging operations, that:-was . not; the board's . affair; If' ' consignees X thought that goods were being knocked: about owing to the/methods, adopted in-'Handling, cases which were being discharged/from' the ship, they should' complain to. the ehipping'".people.;,': . ■ •■.'-.-'-.'■ .;■!'.- In reply : to. the allegations. made that there was "an alarming amount of .'•.thieving.going on/' 'Sir. Fletcher scouted the ;idea. Petty pilfering had been.reduced to a' minimum among the . wharf.:..em- ; ployees, and the supervision of packages taken'through the gates was very : strictly /exercised. -; Of course,-he. admitted,.in a largo'bddy of men: it .was. to .be expected that cases: of, this sort might; occur "now and then, but a man could only, carry off what he could conceal in his pockets, and the .punishment which was dealt out to ■offenders .when detected was.. summary enough to make such' petty'thefts hardly 'worth-while:''.-■■■:. ;,; 1 ■'"••• : .-•'..;;- : :