Santo was all shook up

Nz Seamen Cooked

Their Own Goose

Island produce growers expected to lose thousands of dollars through a strike by New Zealand seamen early in November. At the same time, businessmen in the South-West Pacific were starting to look away from traditional suppliers of perishables in New Zealand.

The NZ Government took firm action and deregistered the seamen’s union which had committed a number of irresponsible acts over several years, so much so that they were immediately isolated. The NZ Federation of Labour refused to back them in their strike, and the leader of the NZ Labour Party came out against them.

Cargo for the islands built up on the wharves while the extent of damage to perishable cargo in the three Union Steam Ship Company ships, Tofua, Waimea and Taveuni, was assessed. These three ships were all stranded, fully laden with inward aroduce, in Auckland. There was aarticular concern for the Waimea as »he had a dry cargo of 7,000 melons :rom Nukualofa. Some fruit and vegetable cargo was under refrigera ion, but even then there was serious ianger of spoilage.

After deregistration, the seamen iecided to resume work. Fiji business nen criticised delays in delivering :argo from New Zealand and Burns >hilp switched from NZ to Australia : or perishable goods.

The seamen cooked their own ;oose. Through deregistration they ost all their benefits. They now

The earthquake, which hit the northern part of the New Hebrides on October 28, left the port authorities at Santo with a problem—what to do with a sunken wharf. As the picture on the left shows, the small ships’ wharf slid under the waves and is now seen as a grey rectangular object several feet below the surface and, presumably, a danger to shipping. The main wharf was badly cracked but work has gone on as usual.

Buildings ' and machinery at the South Pacific Fishing Company’s factory at Palekula, seen below, were badly damaged, walls collapsing like a pack of cards. One man was killed by falling rock and a boy was injured when packing cases plunged through the wall between his bedroom and a storeroom. Water supplies at Lugan ville were cut off and the Sarakata bridge, the main bridge between the town and the airport, dropped about six inches and moved about three feet to one side. Re pairs on the bridge were expected to begin before the end of November. It was planned to use heavy jacks to lift the bridge and move it back into alignment. One of the walls of the CFNH store collapsed and the Hotel Corsica was badly shaken, much of its crockery and furnishings being damaged.

have to form a new union, which will have to negotiate new awards.

A mission farm project in West ern Samoa was forced to make gratuity payments to NZ seamen because the union insisted that NZ cattle were carried in USS Co. ships, instead of in a large ship belonging to another company. It had been decided to ship the cattle to Western Samoa in USS Co. ships in three lots of 400, but the USS Co. did not have suitable ships.

The Crusader Line, with a larger ship, was able to take the cattle, and the USS Co. agreed. But the seamen did not. The cattle were sent in USS Co. ships in small lots, with the sea

men demanding and getting gratuities of about SB,OOO.

Meanwhile, a group of NZ MPs, who made a goodwill tour of the Islands, are urging the government to ensure more regular shipping services to the Islands. Their leader, Mr. H. R. Lapwood, did not make it clear whether they wanted more services or rationalisation of existing services. The number of ships opera ting NZ to Fiji and points east has grown recently.

The Union Steam Ship Co. (to become Tasman Union) has three ships covering Fiji, both Samoas, Tonga and Niue; Sofrana has just launched a NZ-Tahiti service, and

here is an extra ship running to the 3ook Islands during construction of Rarotonga Airport. In addition, Holm Shipping Co. will continue to run he chartered Luhesand between NZ md Tahiti. A few weeks ago it was bought that this ship might have to >e returned to her West German iwners.

Several Pacific Islands governments [ave been talking informally about aunching a regional service, which yould almost certainly cover Fiji, "onga and Western Samoa. If estab ished, such an enterprise could cut nto the USS Co. services.

Jedlloyd Puts

Ip Freight Rates

Importers in Fiji, Western Samoa nd Tonga, and ultimately consumers i those countries, are about to be it by another rise in freight rates, 'he latest impost, in force on January , is by Nedlloyd, which operates rom Dutch, Belgian and French orts to the South Pacific.

The shipping line blames substan al increases in fuel prices, and perating and stevedoring costs for le need to lift the rates by 15 per snt. The increase does not include ruling 51 per cent, currency adjust lent charge, which will remain in :>rce till further notice.

Inother Ship

Or Three Islands

New Caledonia, Norfolk Island nd Lord Howe Island will benefit :om a service introduced by the nterprising Karlander Line in con mction with Societe Maritime Cale onienne. The 3,500-ton Salamaua as been transferred from the Sydney risbane-Lae run to the new service, 'hich will originate in Sydney.

The Salamaua has about 300 tons f space for freezer and cool room argo. She is a sideport loader, hich means that in her two main orts, Sydney and Noumea, she can e operated with fast unit loaders, he Salamaua will leave Sydney yery 16 days for the three islands.

Previously Lord Howe and Norfolk 'ere serviced on a four to five eekly basis from Sydney with the letfjord, which also took in Vila nd Santo, and occasionally Honiara, he Sletfjord will now go on to a ;mporary Sydney-Brisbane-Lae ser ice.

Societe Maritime Caledonienne as sold the Jacques del Mar (for lerly BP’s Tulagi ) to Far East iterests. The Jacques del Mar, for r hich Karlander was agent, made er last run from Sydney to Norfolk >land and New Caledonia in Novem er.