A B737-400 CAPT RPTS ON THE CONFUSING DEFERRED ITEM ON THE CARGO CONTAINER HOLD DOWN LOCKS. INSPECTION REVEALED AN ADDITIONAL CARGO HOLD DOWN LOCK BROKEN AND NOT DEFERRED.

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WE RPTED FOR THE FLT THE EARLY MORNING FREIGHTER TO ZZZ. CAPT AND FO BROUGHT THE ACFT IN FROM ZZZ VIA ZZZ1. THE CAPT ASKED ME IF I WAS AWARE THAT PALLET POS #2 WAS NOT USABLE FOR SMALL IGLOOS. I TOLD HIM THAT NOBODY HAD SAID ANYTHING ABOUT IT TO ME. HE THEN INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS A WRITE-UP IN THE MAINT LOGBOOK THAT STATED THAT (HE SEEN THIS IN ZZZ PRIOR TO TAKING THE ACFT) POS #2 WAS TO BE EMPTY; BUT IN A NOTE IT STATED THAT THERE WAS TO BE NO SMALL IGLOOS IN THAT POS. IN ORDER TO GET A COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF THE WRITE-UP (CAN A FULL SIZE IGLOO BE LOADED OR NOT?) HE CONTACTED MAINT CTL. HE WAS TOLD THAT ONE OF THE R-HAND CARGO HOLD DOWN LOCKS WAS BROKEN AND THAT HE COULD NOT CARRY A SMALL SIZE IGLOO; BUT A LARGE SIZE COULD BE CARRIED. THE CAPT THEN STATED THAT HE ASKED MAINT CTL TO PASS THIS INFO TO DOWN-LINE STATIONS; SO THAT THEY WOULD BE PREPARED; AND TO ALSO ADVISE THE CREW IN ZZZ2 (US) OF THIS. UPON ARR IN ZZZ1 HE WAS MET BY CARGO AND HE ASKED THEM IF THEY HAD BEEN ADVISED OF THIS ISSUE. THEY STATED THAT THEY HAD NOT; AND THAT THEY PLANNED TO US THAT POS FOR A SMALL IGLOO. CHANGES HAD TO BE MADE OF COURSE. UPON ARR IN ZZZ2 THE ISSUE WAS PRESENTED TO US; THE NEW FLT CREW. I WENT BACK TO LOOK AT THE BROKEN CLAMP AND SEEN THAT MAINT HAD INDEED USED NYLON TIE-WRAPS TO CINCH THE DAMAGED HOLD-DOWN CLAMP TO THE FLOOR INDICATING THAT IT COULD NOT BE USED. I THEN LOOKED AT THE ACFT LOGBOOK AND VERIFIED THE ENTRY ABOUT THE CLAMP. I THEN WENT AFT AND CONDUCTED A FULL INSPECTION OF ALL OF THE CLAMPS THROUGHOUT THE ACFT AND ALSO FOUND THAT THE FIRST PALLET POS ON THE R SIDE ALSO HAD A BROKEN HOLD-DOWN CLAMP. THE ACFT DID IN FACT HAVE A SMALL IGLOO IN THAT POS WHEN IT CAME IN FROM ZZZ1. I MADE A LOGBOOK ENTRY ABOUT MY FINDING AND NOTIFIED ZZZ2 MAINT. THE DUTY MECH CAME OUT AND LOOKED AT THE WRITE-UP; AS WELL AS THE PREVIOUS ONE; THEN LOOKED AT THE PREVIOUSLY DAMAGED CARGO HOLD-DOWN CLAMP; AND THEN I SHOWED HIM THE ONE THAT I FOUND IN THE FIRST PALLET POS. HE AGREED THAT IT WAS BROKEN THE SAME AS THE POS #2 CLAMP; AND THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO CONTACT MAINT CTL. WE ADVISED ZZZ2 CARGO THAT THE POS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE USED FOR A SMALL IGLOO; WHICH THEY WERE PLANNING TO LOAD; WHICH CAUSED THEM TO CHANGE THEIR LOADING PLANS. I THEN TALKED WITH THE CARGO LEAD; AND SHOWED THIS TO HIM. HE STATED THAT THE HOLD-DOWN CLAMP THAT I HAD JUST FOUND BROKEN; HAD BEEN SEEN BY HIM DURING THE FIRST 2 WKS OF THE FREIGHTER OP AND THAT HE HAD RPTED IT AT THAT TIME; AND ALSO THAT HE WAS VERY SURPRISED TO FIND THAT IT HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED/REPLACED. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THIS ISSUE HAS GONE THIS LONG WITH NO ONE SEEING IT AND GETTING IT REPLACED. HOW MANY TIMES HAS A SMALL IGLOO BEEN PUT IN THE POS WITH DEFECTIVE HOLD DOWN CLAMPS IN USE.