SHIPPING PROBLEMS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2814, 4 July 1916, Page 7

SHIPPING PROBLEMS

' ; ROTATION OF CALLS. i' At yesterday's meeting of the Wel- ■ lington ' Chamber of Commerce, the'following letters were received from shipping companies respecting- the calling of steamers' at New Zealand' ports:— . '• From the New Zealand Shipping Company, Ltd.:—"This company' is at prosent. only dispatching one steamer per month L-om London for Now 1 Zealand ports, and these mako Auckland 'first port, and discharge at the other ports in geographical order, viz.—Wellington, Lyttelton, and Dunedin. AVo are. afraid this will have, to continue during tho contmimnce of tho w&r. We have not made a' practice- of making Wellington first port of call to land mails and passengers when steamers are loaded for Auckland 'as first port of discharge." T Sliawv Sarill, and Albion Company, Ltd.:—"Since the war and the congestion and shortage: of labour in London docks, it has been found impossible to load moro than one steamer, a month for Now Zealand from London. As a consequence the mail steamers have to carry cargo for all four main ports in rotation, instead of as used' to be the case, Wellington and Lyttelton being served direct bv tho mail steamers, whilst Auckland and'Dunediti had separate services at regular, intervals. The first discharge port of tlie mail steamers under these changed circumstances is Auckland, then Wellington, Lyttelton, Dunedin, ill natural geographical sequence, but it is felt that for the convenience of the public a call shonld be made first at Wellington to land passengers, this port being the most central distributing place. This extra call at Wellington en route to first discharge port, Auckland, has occasioned such, great delay in turning the vessels l'oulid in order to keep homeward dates that it has now bean decided to omit it, and, commencing. with tho Tainui, which left London on May 16, our steamers will proceed direct, to Auckland from Hobart. This, .of course, will result in Wellington cargo being landed somo days earlier than has lately been tho case. . ... Tho best possible is being done, under the circumstances, for all concerned, and considering tho exigencies of present. times, we are affording to importers as good and regular a service as .can be. expected." • \