It took until 1916 for an article to appear illustrating the challenges presented by the Nor'-West coastal trade and belated praise for Mr. Moxon's visionary Koombana. Mention is made of Koombana's excessive draught (as low as it indeed was for a ship of that size) for ports such as Hedland, a significant factor contributing to the disaster; and it was this which cut short Mr. Moxon's plans for more innovative steamers to follow in the wake of Koombana. One has the impression from this article that progress, in terms of shipping, regressed between 1912 and 1916 - and which was not due to the impact of the Great War.
The West Australian, 29 June, 1916
THE NOR'-WEST.
HANDLING OF CATTLE
REQUIREMENTS OF THE TRADE.
(By "Humanstas.")
There is ample need for a reconstruction
of the steamship service trading between
Fremantle and Nor'-West ports. It would
be a revelation to residents of the metro-
politan area to observe something of the
condition under which the Nor-West portion
of this State has to be developed.
Along the coast from Carnarvon north
wards there is a great natural difficulty
which has to be overcome, namely, the
diurnal rise and fall of tide. The boats
at present serving these ports are, in the
first place, totally unable to overcome this
difficulty with any certainty, for the reason
that their rate of travel is such that they are
seldom able to catch the tide at one port after
leaving the other, more especially, as often
happens, when they are at all late in getting
away from the latter. At most of the big-tide
ports there is only a small margin of some
four to five hours during which a steamer can
berth at the jetty, and should the vessel.
not be on time the chances are that even
with a small amount of loading and unloading
to do, she will miss the tide and be obliged to
wait for another 12 hours in absolute idleness
for the water to rise to a high enough level
to enable her to get away.
Should there be a large cargo to handle
it will inevitably mean missing not only
the next tide, but the ensuing tide as well.
These delays are not only vexatious to
passengers but are a cost to the shipping
companies operating, to say nothing of a
loss of prestige arid the practically certain
stigmatisation of the boats by the travelling
public as "dawdlers." Ten knots an hour
about.the normal speed of most of the
vessels trading along this coast, there
being one exception, the vessel in question
being able to make special and direct
cattle trips at a fairly satisfactory rate
of progress (SS Kangaroo). The remedy
for this state of things undoubtedly lies in
the establishment of a line of steamers
capable of doing at least 15 knots an hour,
and making:certain of catching the tide at every
port. The absence of any ability to do
this at once places the steamers completely
at the mercy of the waters, and makes
it absolutely impossible to keep to any
time schedule.
There seems to be yet another cause for
complaint, one which affects the physical
comfort of passengers, and bears particularly
harshly upon any live stock that may be carried.
It is due primarily to the tropical and
semi-tropical temperatures through which
the steamers are passing throughout the
major portion of each trip. So far as the
passengers are concerned, some attempt
is made on one or two of the boats to
alleviate the discomfort by the installation
of electric fans, and the provision of
canvas stretchers for these who care to
sleep on deck. But north of Carnarvon
during almost any portion of the year, it
is impossible, with vessels so constructed
and so entirely unsuited for the trade
as are those employed, to overcome
more than a tithe of this discomfort. The
only effort ever made to provide a vessel
specially constructed for these latitudes
met with an appalling end when the fine
steamer Koombana went to her fate in the
1912 blow. But it is said of even that fine
ship that her draught placed her at a
disadvantage in many of the ports and
channels through which she had to pass,
but every credit is given to the company
which made such a laudable attempt to
meet the demands of the situation. Some
thing in the way of a mercantile adaptation
of the monitor type of vessel would, it
appears, be more likely to meet the
case from the point of view of length
breadth, and shallowness of draught.
Cruelty to Animals.
If the plight of the passengers is bad,
that of the live stock is rendered incalculably
worse through, the non-adaptation
of most of these vessels to the requirements
of the trade. The ensuing loss of stock each
year is astounding. For obvious reasons, it is
impossible to get the exact figures, but basing
the loss on the value of stock safely landed at
Robb's Jetty, it must run into many scores of
thousands of pounds. One instance to the
contrary was cherished in the minds of
stock breeders; this being the occasion
when one of the steamers, more or less
used exclusively for stock carried a shipment
to Fremantle from Derby in 51 days with the
loss, it is said, of only two bullocks. This
exception only seems to prove the rule,
although it is always the fond hope of'
shippers that they will be lucky enough to
share once more in such a stroke of fortune.
Against this, however, is quoted case after
case of terrible mortality of stock, which has
frequently occurred, unfortunately, to the
detriment of the small men, who could least
afford to suffer it.
Countless instances in which the
mortality has ranged from 10 to 30 per
cent could be quoted by some of the
most regular shippers. It is the rule to
send only the best and strongest beasts
of a herd but a week of confinement in
the holds of these vessels is sufficient to
turn a fine looking bullock into a hollow
flanked dejected looking animal. Often,
too, because of a temporary shortage in the
market no time is given to the beasts to
recover some of their lost condition. A
case occured a few weeks ago in which
the cattle were being sold as fast as
they could be run through the race off
the ship, and almost as promptly despatched
by the butchers, in order to supply their
insistent customers. It is sheer cruelty to
send cattle on the hoof under prevailing
conditions, and it is a moot point as to
whether or not the law for the prevention of
cruelty to animals could not be enforced to
put a stop to the practice and cause some
other more humane method of supplying the
metropolitan area with meat to be put into practice.
The growers themselves acknowledge the
cruelty of the system; everyone acknowledges
it; but still the system runs its course, and no
one thinks it is his business to intervene. What is
everyone's business is that of no one.
Anyone travelling on these passenger cattle
boats can see for himself by looking down into
the holds. Fine beasts lying on their sides, gasping
for breath, trampled over by the more
vigorous of the herd, horned and kicked,
and waiting for the end. For three days
a beast will perhaps suffer in this way before
the hour of its happy release comes.
When it is dead a stock tender will fix a
hook ,through its leg, the carcass is hauled
up on the winch, and with a slash of his
knife the man drops the carrion over the
side. In fairness to the stock tenders, it
may be said that, if they see a chance
of getting a fallen beast on its legs, they
will endeavour to do so, but it must be
noted that Kimberley cattle are not domesticated,
and that it is anything but a safe task to go
down amongst them and prod a bullock on to
his legs again.
There is insufficient ventilation in the holds.
The only means by which air is forced down
amongst the cattle is through the agency
of windsails. When there is no wind there
is no air. Two wisdsails to each hold is
the usual arrangement, and it is pitiful on
hot still days to watch the animals crowding
in beneath the foot of these tubular canvas
contrivances to drink in the light draughts of
air that are only sent down by the forward
movement of the ship. In port on such days
the windsails hang lifeless from the ropes,
and the unfortunate beasts can only gasp in
vain. Why should they be called upon to suffer
in this way? True, man must have meat, and
the beasts are only reared for the slaughter-house,
but if they must be killed let this take place at the
other end, and the carcasses sent down in the form
of chilled beef. The meat then purveyed to the public
will not have been kept at fever heat for days,
will not have been bruised and knocked about
as it is in the life, and if people think at all about
such things they will feel that they have spared
much needless suffering which a word from them
could have stopped long since.
Koombana's dedicated cattle deck with adequate ventilation ports was not only an important innovation, but also humane.
Yet another difficulty has to do with the
matter of inward and outward freight.
Apparently the settlers can never depend
on getting goods from the south run when
it is known to have been shipped on a
particular steamer. Over carrying of goods
seems to be the order of the day. Outward
loading is at times treated in much the same
cavalier fashion. In this connection there are
faults on both sides; more especially at those
ports where the lightering system is in vogue.
Instead of a lighter being anchored out
ready to range alongside the steamer, she
often does not make her appearance for
two hours later, and it is small wonder that
the captain of a ship should then in his turn
refuse to load the merchandise.
This might in part be why Koombana was obliged to enter Port Hedland rather than relying on lighters - expense being a further factor.
But goods are left behind on jetties which
have been placed in readiness for loading
days before, either because there are
insufficient lumpers available to load it,
or the captain is behind time and will
not run the risk of missing the next tide.
Furthermore, the facilities for handling cargo
and stock on the jetties are antiquated and
makeshift, and render it both difficult and
patience-trying for the ships to deal with.
Undoubtedly much more will be required to
be spent in various directions to overcome these
difficulties. but the trade should warrant
it and the Nor'-West is entitled to it.
it and the Nor'-West is entitled to it.
Captain Allen did not want to 'get behind time and run the risk of missing the next tide'.
courtesy Trove.
courtesy Trove.
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