SHIP WILD DEER.

Evening Star, Issue 3203, 27 May 1873, Page 3

SHIP WILD DEER.

To the Editor. Sir,— ln your issue of the 2drd instant I observe a letter signed “ Sufferer,” complaining of the manner in which the cargo, ex Wild Deer, is Heing discharged. Your correspondent has apparen ly, m giving vent to his spleen, rushed into print without at all considering what he was doing, otiierwise he would never have attempted to make such groundless statements. Instead of the ship in question discharging her cargo in driblets, as he asserts, I am in a position to state, without fear of contradiction, that she has, since commencing, already discharged a greater quantity of goods then has yet been accomplished in the same time by any vessels at the railw ay pier ; and I am equally confident that, if only for their own interests, the proprietors of the lighters have lost no time in landing the goods at Dunedin wharf. Your correspondent is apparently one of those selfisfi individuals who imagine that their package, no matter how insignificant, ought to be delivered imm diately on the vessel being moored. 1 would advise him in future to instruct Ids correspondents at home to arrange for having his goods stowed in a part of the vessel where they would be Handy, say, for instance, in the captain’s cabin: a concession 1 am sure Captain Whitson himself would gladly have made, had he known how much he could have alleviated your friend’s sufferings. I have, as well as your correspondent, been credibly informed that the Wild Deer could have been berthed alongside 1 he railway pier had her commander 9ho.cn to have her there; but I presume Captain Whitson would be a’lowed to exercise his own judgment as to whether ho would take his vessel to the pier op disQjiarge his cargo into lighters in tHe stream, and, judging from the manner in which ' easels at the pier have generally been discharged, I fancy be was perfectly justified in remaining where ho ia. Wo have beard a great deal about the benefits to importers in having their goods so speedily to hand, as they would be when the railway was in operation ; but as yet I do not think that any such benefits have been derived by the public, certainly not nearly to the extent that was promised, I imagine your correspondent would have been in a very unenviable condition had he been so unfortunate as to have had goods per the Euterpe, then I should say he would have had good cause for parading his grievance before the public. I was under the impression that this ship was discharged and partly loaded, until, on being led to make inquiries, I ascertained that, notwithstanding the unceasing efforts of Captain Phillips and his officers, the last of the cargo had only been discharged this forenoon ; and that the Lutterworth, which put in an appearance about the same time, and discharged her cargo—a large one—into lighters, was not on ! y discharged but had almost completed loading her outward cargo. If I mistake not, both of these vessels were reported at the Customs on the 7th cf April, Your correspondent is possibly unaware that consignees can greatly facilitate the discharge of a ship, simply by passing entries immediately on the vesse/s arrival : a course that is seldom followed, and notably so in the case of the Wild Deer, part of her cargo not being passed for even yet. In conclusion, I wish to remind your correspondent that it is greatly to a shipmaster’s interest to have hia vessel discharged as speedily as possible, and to obtain despatch they save neither trouble nor expense ; but if they are obliged to submit to tbe many inconveniences which alongside any railway pier they are liable to, then the commander of tbe vessel is not to blame for any delay. -I am, sir, &c., Ykiutas. Dunedin, May 24.