PORT OF WELLINGTON.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 853, 27 June 1910, Page 5

PORT OF WELLINGTON.

ALLEGATION ABOUT CH.VEKES. l: "Owing to tlie seriously-increased ° charges levied by the Wellington Ear- ' hour Board on transhipments, at Weiliiigton for various coastal ports, action ii'being prnmot<s.l at Wanganui by local •• merchants, in conjunction with mer- t chants of other places affected on that I const, and the 'West Coast of ihe Soiith v Island, with a view to diverting transhipments from M'elliugtou to a jcheaper transhipping port. Tho com- ' : bination of importers at the various ° affected will be a very strong one, 0 controlling a large volume of the cargo f. now transhipped at Wellington." a Mr. R. i'letcher, chairman of the c Wellington Harbour Board, on his at- ? lention being drawn to the above state- c menta, said th.il- the cluii'g<-3 made by t. tlie board were not such as to disconr- " ago transhipping. He eniphaf,ised the !1 fact that the hoard, in its recent re- jj vision of ]iort charges, did not put any -j, extra levy on transhipment. He presumerl tliat what was complained of was the reimposition of an old charge of 0:1. for haulage of a quarter of a mils from wharf to wliarf, and Is. for „ half a mile, and this charge was a neces- (. sary sequel to the expulsion of the t. por'i, n-hioh had involved the berthing t of vessels at points so far apart as the - Kins's "Wharf and the Taranaki Street Wharf. Wharf. The transhipping charge of 3s. covered many sen-ices—the board's responsibility for the goods, tallying, liand-li-ng, storage for seven days, lohaucUing, o and other de-tails. Other harbour boards, t on paper, might show move altractivo s terms, but a consignee, in practice, n would find that rosy theory did not S square, with hard practice. For ex- r ample, in Lyttc-lton trajisliipmont was U scheduled as free, hut unler-s the t (/> which the transhipment wa.s to be a elfect-ed ha.pprin.-d to be lying haiidy to c the othe-r ship—a- rare coincidence.—the li charges might he heavy. 'I'liere wore I the factors of labour, tnickiiig, storing, Jami retrucking to be ndded up.' Ai. a li.vtte.Hon the traiishipijins was prac- J-tit-ally done by the iiailway Depart- " m«it 'Mid at Auckland by the ships. A J propouM 1.0 chpn»e vh.o sys-tem here was « l>e.f<!re the Iwarti some years ago, but ? was dropped on t.ho shipping companies " ar-king the board imi to make any a.'.- ° to.rnlinii in the system then and still t' oxistins. " To show that WHlington, as a. Iran- « ! -.liipi>iiif port, was regarded favourably 'A by {.hove familiar with nil Ih- irst fac- P tors. ?,fr. Klelchr-r c.iintjyl ?\<i\un f<,, c the oast f'-.v >e:irs. T.ildng the month [• of ?>!.•!}•, for "Nam|i!o. the wa-.: ' : 1910, "12..|n4; I'ra. Snr,'.)- If,!;:;.' U.CIO " (ivcarded ;•■■■ ■■ "boom" year): 15)07. l> i)-)7'-">. I'or bali-yerirs Uie totals Wf-ro: '■ JOin, 03.0.5.'!; 1900. 1W,:i85 : 1903, (is.9mi t> ("honm" year); ICO7, .vCOnn. He main- J taiucd Ih'-.t the transhipping bu'ii!K>---s '■' war, iiii're.".:;iiig, as it slkhiUl. r.iiul he.had " every n>.iroii'u> helievo thai, Mi<- vol- <> lime of business would necessarily o:;l>a»<l- ' I In the (lonrts of summary jurisdic- si tiou in England and Wales in UIOB. t< 742,9G8 persons were dealt with. i e,