For a number of years, there has been a steady stream of lake bulk carriers arriving at Toronto during the summer and fall months with cargoes of salt destined for use on the roads of the city and the province during the winter. Sometimes the salt arrived in Reoch self-unloaders and sometimes it was brought by straight-deckers such as HERON BAY and SHELTER BAY. By late autumn, there would be a huge pile of salt on the Weaver Coal Company dock.

This year, however, things have been different. Not as much salt has been delivered to Toronto Harbour docks by lake carriers and the reason why became known on October 1st with the arrival of the large Russian bulk motor vessel ZLATOUST. This ship, built in Poland in 1969, measures 614' x 75' and is of 23,000 tons deadweight. She arrived with a cargo of 13,000 tons of Roumanian salt which had been loaded at Constanza. This is actually a part cargo for Toronto as 10,000 tons of salt were unloaded at Montreal before she entered the Seaway. Immediately upon arrival in Toronto she was picketed by local labour groups protesting the importation of Roumanian salt at a time when the salt mines at Goderich and Windsor are capable of producing large quantities of road salt. Upon discharge of the cargo in Toronto the ZLATOUST will proceed light to Montreal to load grain for a Baltic or Black Sea Port.

To add to the consternation of the Canadian Labour Unions, this cargo is the first of three such shipments scheduled to be received at the Toronto docks before the close of navigation.

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