GRADING OF TOW.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 379, 30 April 1908, Page 4

GRADING OF TOW.

At a meeting of the Wellington Harbour Board on Thursday correspondence was read in respect of suggestions made by the Agricultural Department for the grading of tow for shipment, and the facilities required from the Board to allow of this being done.

The Department’s letter stated that the question of the Department undertaking the grading of tow was under consideration. This was recognised to be a very desirable thing, the only difficult , being how to do the work without loading the tow with too heavy a charge. The Department wished to know whether the Board could place the necessary facilities at their disposal for carrying out the work, and if so, what their charge per bale to the owners of the tow would be for opening and repacking. To this the Acting Secretary of the Board had replied regretting that the body could not see its way at present to grant the facilities required. The Board had, however, authorised the preparation of plans for a large wool and flax store at the foot of the Glasgow wharf, and it was possible that when this building was erected room could be found there for the purpose. Meanwhile, in the opinion of the wharfinger and the wool clerks, it would be quite impossible, taking the present volume of trade, and assuming one bale in every ten to be graded, to spare the shed room necessanq as all bales would have to be fully opened, and even if there were floor space available the cost, it was leared, would be prohibitive. Quite lately a wet bale of tow was opened out, dried, and repacked in one of the Board’s sheds, and the men’s actual time, apart from any change for shed room, etc., amounted to / x. This might not have been a fair average case, but even putting the ordinary cost at half that amount, it was clear that the tow could not stand the charge.