OUR OVERTAXED WHARF ACCOMMODATION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 138, 6 March 1919, Page 8

OUR OVERTAXED WHARF ACCOMMODATION

• THE TRANSHIPAnUN'T TROUBLE. Sir,—The. recent reports in the Press tend to illustrate that the conditions existing on the Wellington wharves are far from satisfactory., this being primarily due to the- want of shed accommodation, and it is a question to be considered what can be dono to alleviate the position in the meantime. The solution appears to be in til? involving of some system for the more expeditious delivery of goods. One of the causes of the present delaj in delivery is the congested state of tin sheds, and one of the causes of the con. gestion is the fact that many consignees still utilise the board's sheds as tlieii distributing store. Sundry consignment: are shipped to Wellington wharf only and remain in the slleds to be tranship ped to other places piecemeal, necessitat ing considerable work on the part of th' board's 6taft' in sorting out the variou packages, besides occupying valnnbl 6pace pending transhipment. Wellington is essentially a tranship mont port, and can olTer privileges a lompaml with other centres, but tliesi irjvilegos sliould not be abused, am ttilising the sheds gs a distributing stor or one's business is certainly an abuse As explained in previous reports, bona ido_ transhipments for ether ports causi

bill of lading and properly port markeS, The lot for any particular port can b» stowed in bulk' to tho roof of the tilled and transhipped without any sorting whenever there is cutwnrd shipping space available, whereas cargo consigned to Wellington only has to be distributed more or less over tho iloor of the shed to allow piecemeal delivery. Any town cargo detained for transhipment is allowed to occupy valuable store space, and receives the benefit of bona-fide through transhipments and more, inasmuch as it has to be carefully sorted out for its vnrious destinations. However, the main abuse is, that, it occupies valuable space for considerable periods, especially in those days when there is a shortage in the coastwise tonnage.

Consignees adopt this system of dealing with their merchandise because they find it cheaper than providing a store' or warehouse themselves, and there is also a saving in the cost of removing to and from the wharf, but it must be obvious that su#h a system is pernicious, and is affecting the efficiency of the port. It is scarcely a part of a harbour board' 6 'function to provide such facilities, and the sooner the board realises this and treats all cargo consigned to Wellington only as town cargo (with reservations), and penalises it if not removed promptly the sooner an improvement will take place in the present conditions, for besides insuring a quicker removal of cargo from the sheds it would allow the board's transhipping staff (o concentrate the whole of their energies in tho removal of bona-fide transhipments, whereas, under the present system. much of tho lime and labour of tha. staff is lost In sorting out-various packages of transhipments from town cargo. —I am, etc., INTERESTED. March 5,