FARMING AFFAIRS

Chronicle (Levin), 14 February 1947, Page 8

FARMING AFFAIRS

(Thi.s coliiinn is supplie.d vveekly by irederaieii Farmers of X.Z. The ini'oriudtion giyeu is official, but any . vu'Wti expressed are those of tiie i-'edcration and are not nesessarily those of this newspaper.) Centralisation of biupping A reeent report on tne. deeentralisa tion of ports in NetV Zealand ,and an examination of tlfe effects of the estau lisument of seeonqary -ports h'ah bee-. pr.-pared by the resbarch departnient Oj Ihe rederation anrWcirculated to X-*1'0 viiu-ial exeeutives. While objective iti its analysis and recommending that an;. approaeh to the problem should be made with extreme caution, tlie i>eport says that there appears to be u^guiding hn Vviiirh cun generaily be applied. Nd general X'oliey has, in consequenee, beeji laid dowu, for every pariieular east should be regarded on its nierits aftei fuil considerutiun of ali th^Aj^Jk Whether br not a poliev of c tion or le«*entralisaiion is deeidSBHpo i tiie rei>ort does elaiin that it is time tlie, .diipping eompunies made snme elfort tv, reduce t'reight rates so that New Zealand will be able to compete as favourably ;ts possible with other foodq)roduc ■ i i."d rountries when the food situatioh i.eroau's normal. Oue argument used in iavour of the reduction in freight rates i s tlu* prolit situation of the major sliij'ping conqjanies. The aeeounts o." the i'. -and O. Company are analyseo iiiel sliow that, after paving taxes, that. ■ o::i]>any 's proiits have inereased over -.!'!! ju.r cent. since 1 b.'lS-Mh. The eom pauic.s however, contend that the cosL • Imiiding siiips todav is 75 to 100 pei ' .•nt. higher tlian in pre-war davs and i.tit t i:e rcserves- built up from proliu; n.tuie ■iuring tlie war will be insutriciem ;•» ?• jilare ships Jost by enemy action. .Most iiiteresfing point faised, frotn the iariuers ' point of view, is proltal)ly tiie unalvsis of rates lexiecl on land by tlie various New Zealand harbour louids. Th? table shown below giving tiie ananui nnipunts levied by boards pioves that niuch secondary harbour de.iVoiunent has takeu piave in part at the t'xpense of the land. The tabJu s'uows eiearly that eertain harbours t.a-.e been established in New Zealand v.liere iiature never intended them to !• •stal.'lished, thus creating in most cases t penmuient and inereasing ehdrge on ihe iaml. l.itinl rates are levied by most of the eV-:ui!arv ports to pl'ovide linanee additioual to that obtained from harbour dues. liie following table shows +the rates secr.red for the year ending Soptember '1-', 1057, 1042 and 1044. No iigures are . ailnble after 1044. I'.ay of lslands, £4, £2252, ^242,1 ; V.'liangnrei, £4001, £0, £7; Whakatane. 25201, £5102; Tolaga Bay, £4474, hiO-lO, £!5i2; (4isborae, £57,002, £38,4(57, I'i.Or ',; Wairoa. £0255, £4082, £0547; . . .cpici , £>>, xl7,05'0, £18,30/ ; New j-'I.v' Uiouth, £12,28ii, £75, £57; Patea, £4015, £7554, £7004; -Wanganui, £16,355, £22,877, £24,182; Foxton, £459, £989, £001; Nelson, £1387, £5003, £5200; Motueka, £1091, £131-1, £1392; Hokitika; £7-0, £1038, £879; Timaru, £9752, £! 1,107, £11,513; Oanuft-u, £11,594, £lo,:;2s, £10,304; Mokau, £103; Opunake, £2901. ,'v spueifie example of hc-.v secondary kurLour development takes place part v at Ihe expense of the land is that ot .>e\v Plyiiiuuth. "The report quotes an s,imated deliciency of £20,000 at Nen 1; niouth for the year ending Septem i « r 30, 1947. That deliciency is to be ;u't pnrtly by increasing the ha''1 our ate by 50 per cent. and lev., mg bc% . uv of rates to an amount of £13,000. i'liat position has arisen in Now J * in;utli beraiise it will take appro'xi ately £58, ('00 to overhaul a dredge and . .i.iir u Iiurves. fi is also pointed out in the report timi OAormuent subsidies ai'O being ..ii-1 to several boards to compensate »:• tiie loss of harbour dues p.aid by r.fi'seus shipping. The loss was due to

. h» poliry ot centralisation or snipprng : .it tii«" mai n ports to expedite the tuni mound of siiips during tlie war. The ub.-idv is paid out of the ( 'onsolidated "uml and is solely for loss of oversoas kijiping, not to reimburse ■ harbour ' it'/ui'il.- for inereased costs. Iu 1943-41 lic.-e subsidies totalled £24,473 made up fnllow: — "amaru, £1500; Napier, £0000; New . Ivnioiith, £900(1; Bay of Lslands, £1344; Wanganui, £0029. For 19 14-45 fhe total subsidy was 7 4 alloeated as follov.s:— Timaru, '.W-ui; (iisborne. £5000; Wairoa, £225; N.i.bior, £10,000; New Plymout.il, £ "• boO; Wanganui, £4371. ! Ti'e report is a fuli oue and was pre j Manui under instructions from the Doj : i unn Founeil following on reeeipt of ; vr-mit from tlie Auckland Provincial 1 1 otiference urging deeentralisat-io-n of inniortation by deelaring secondary harbours as ports of entrv.