THE UNLOCKING Of THE PORT

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1910, 19 November 1913, Page 8

THE UNLOCKING Of THE PORT

. SEVENTEEN SHIPS WORK; OVER 850 ON NEW piGN'S BOOKS. iMORE PRODUCE READY. "COALING SHIP" ON CORINTHIC. Seventeen vessels were worked yesterday. Although the heavy rain which fell yesterday morning .interfered to a great extent with the amount of work done at the wharves, still a good deal of inward and outward cargo was handled. The vessels tfhich lay at the wharves yesterday were; Athenic, Corinthic, Khnutaka, Ilemuera., .'Dorset, Mararoa, Wairuna, Kaiapoi, Kaitoa, Maiigapapa, Stormbird, Bimitangi, Blenheim, Aorere, Nikau, ICitt&wa., and Lizzie Taylor (ketch). Whilst the rain lasted work on most of the big ships was suspended, but the gangs on the coastal vessels kept steadily at it. The' Kittawa iay .at ■ tho King's Wharf, and loaded transhipments ex Willochri and Kimutaka. She will sail for Auckland to-day. The Kaiapoi,-at the same wharf, loaded transhipments from ■ the same vessels for New Plymouth. When she returns she will take on board transhipments for southern ports. Tho Rcninera and Corinthic came alongside for tho working of cargo for the first time. The Huia will leave to-;day for Hayeiack awl the Sounds, chiefly laden with cargo front Wellington. The Stormbird, which sails to* morrow, takes transhipments ex Northern, Dorset, Marere, and'Rirautaka for Wangauui. The Putiki will return from Wanganui on Thursday to load' transhipments. The Blenheim will sail to-day for Blenheim with a full cargo. The Wairuna came alongside the Rail-" way Wharf. _ This vessel and the Northern were being worked when the strike occurred, and the men. were called out.

has beqn arranged that as far as possible the. Arbitrationists .working the various vessels at tho wharves will be employed continuously by the same companies as those with which they started. : The Athenie's gang will thus go to the CorintMc; • and from tho Marere the Tyser men will go to the Mirriiro, and the' New Zealand Shipping Company's men from the Rimutaka to tho Hemuera. These men will all livo aboard the vessels they are working. The labourers on the Union Company's boats will livo on board the Mararoa, Which is now berthed at the Queen's Wharf. Next Produce Shipments. The Rimutaka takes, the next shipment of dairy produce from Wellington', and large consignments will ho at the ship's side when she has finished unloading. The Patea works are full. Dairy produce is usually sent to tlio big ports by the "feeders" from Gishomo and Napier, bat a few days ago this ruie was broken, and prejduco was loaded direst to one of the liners waiting in the roadsteads. Tho Opawa, whieh is now being loaded at Auckland, is expected to take 40,000 boxes of butter, but not any cheese. Up to yesterday 20,000 hoses had been put on board the ves-sel—throe days' good work, The Opawa may come south after leaving Auckland. How Gorlnlhlc was Loaded. After fifty-two hours the. crew of tho liner Corinthtc have shipped nearly two thousand tons of coal, the workers thus averaging about 39 tons per hour. This says a great deal for the crew", who could hardly be. 'expected to be expert at what was at best a "surprise job." Officers, no doubt, would have found more pleasure in assisting in navigation ,• engineers would hiuii boon more u uitei;estsd *»d> repair

some intricate part o£ tho machinery; stewards would have certainly been mure at- homo in attending to tlio requirements of passengers; and the seamen and firemen, well—whatever their tastes were they buektod to tho Work like Trojans. Possibly ■enough the excellent work performed by the crew of the Athenie when thoy were asked to "coal ship" inspired the ship's, company of the Cormthic to push their best foot forward. Bo that as it may, tho Coriutliic officers are proud of what has been dtaie. "The strikers may talk about their coaling gangs—-" commenced one officer of tlie Corinthic. "What!'.' interjected another. "Why, thoy are not in it. We've beaten thorn at their own game." Coaling operations were commenced on Friday Might last. Three watches wore worked with 35 men on at each watch. Good progress was made Up till midnight on Saturday, when a stop was called, and all hands enjoyed a well-earned rest, Bunkering was recommenced at midnight on Sunday night, and some few hours later work .was stopped owing to the heavy rain. After the pour had eased off operations tattled on again, everyone Working with a. will. More heavy rain set in late on Monday nighty and from then until S o'clock yesterday morning the gangs had to i'aco tho elements as- well as the work. At this hour the officers, engineers, stewards, seamen, and firemen finished their task. ,