THE COASTAL TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 June 1920, Page 5

THE COASTAL TRADE.

CONGESTION AT WELLINGTON. IRREGULAR STEAMER SERVICE. At the meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday the' question was raised of shipping facilities with New Plymouth. Some members averred that Wellington was losing its Taranaki trade owing to the irregular steamer service. Another member said that he had sent the same goods on three separate occasions' to a New Plymouth steamer, and then was not able to get them away. Other members stated that in regard generally to the coaßtal service, shipping companies should refuse to stamp boat notes for town cargo when it was found that there was sufficient cargo from transhipments and local sources to complete loading of a vessel, and thus avoid merchants sending gooey to the steamer only to have them turned back. The president (Mr. M. A. Carr) pointed out that during last year a committee of the chamber had put in a lot of time in conference with the officials of the Harbor Board and representatives of the steamship companies engaged in the coastal trade, in an endeavour to devise some method of eliminating the "waiting" time which shippers had in recent years had to pay carters. The arrangement made was that where there was likely to be congestion shippers might, after arranging with the Harbor Board and the shipping company deliver cargo into the Harbor Board shed for shipment by a specific steamer. This cargo would be given preference of shipment ovef other town cargo.