HARBOURS BILL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 875, 22 July 1910, Page 8

HARBOURS BILL.

-« VIEWS OF SHIPOWNERS. PLACED BEFORE MINISTERS. A deputation representing tho New Zealand Shipowners' Federation, wti:s introduced to the Hon. J. A. Millar (Minister for Marine) by Mr. A. L. Herdman, M.l'., yesterday. The deputation made important representations in regard to tho Harbours Bill brought by Mr. Millar before the House. Mr. ltcnnc-r, present of the Wellington branch of the federation, explained the views of thai body. Ho urged that tho Harbour Board elections should be held 011 a separate day from that fixed lor the municipal elections, as much contusion would be othertvisu experienced, ihe clause under which shipowners would vote for their representatives on the boards required explanation, as it would not work where, say, four or five men jointly owned a vessel. I hoy werel ot opinion that a candidate ior • election should be allowed to stand l'or any part of his district, provided he was an elector. The causes in reference to pilotage and exemptions would bo hardly tair to shipowners, and should cither be struck out or amended. They also asked that tho clause dealing with foreshore leases should be struck out. If the clause were passed, it would bo impossible in a port such as Auckland, for instance, for shipbuilders to carry 011 their business. would simply be blocked out altogether. Mr. Millar: Tho clause wall not be struck out, but it will be amended to the extent thai where a board leases land for ordinary building purposes, there wiu bo no claim for loss of riparian rights, when it is required for harbour use. Compulsory Pilotage. Mr. Kenner urged that insufficient representation was to be allowed to the important class of payors ot dues on ships. With only one representative 011 a board, they would be left very much out in tho cold, and they should have at least two. Strong objection was also taken to tho proposed compulsory pilotage. With regard to the provision tor compulsory pilotage, Mr. Millar said ho did not want to handicap the shipowners, but lie must bo fair to the peoplo of Isew Zealand. Afraid of "Bleeding." Mr. W. G. Smith, Auckland secretary of the federation, suggested that the necessity for pilotage should be subject to the Minister's approval. "We are afraid this is to bo used purely as a methodot raising revenue," he said, as against the ship. You would act quite impartially against that.' You would not allow it unle°ss it was necessary. We want to pard against placing any methods m the hands of harbour boards for bleeding shipowners, which they arc glad to do as at present constituted." Mr. Smith also objected to tho clanso enabling harbour boards to run ferry services Mr.' E. W. Allison. (Auckland) urged that there could not be dual control 111 regard to tho licensing of ships. I he power must, rest either with the Marine Department, as proposed at present in the Bill, or with the 'harbour board, and _it would not bo to the advantage of tlio shipping industry if the harbour boards wei't> to supersede the Department in this function, as some peoplo had suggested. Shipowners should havo two representatives upon tho boards. Minister in Reply. Tho Minister said that it was not very easy to frame a constitution for the boards that would please everybody. So many sections of the community desired representation that it was'impossible to givo them all the representation which; they might think necessary without making the boards unwieldy and expensivo. It had been decided, after consultation, that fourteen was a fair membership for the larger (wards. Ho liuew that strong exception would be taken in the House to tho provision for the representation of payers of dues, and whether'it would go throiigli ,hc could not say. If it was struck out 110 would ask tho House to substitute another representative of shipping. Ho fully recognised tho necessity, of having representatives of tho shipping ..'on harbour boards. Date of Elections. He intended to move certain amendments to tho Bill iu respect of tho date of elections, so that tho payors of dues' would be elected for two years, instead of one, and Government nominees would bo appointed as from tho dato of the elections. The argument had been raised that it would bo inconveuieut to have different dates for the election of members of tho board, but if one day was wanted ho would provide for it. The country, was absolutely sick of elections, and people wanted to, have them all in one day. He proposed that payors of dues should bo elected for two years, and representatives of road . districts, for two. year 9, which would make, a uniform period of two years for all except the .representatives of county councils. , All tho representatives should be elected oh tho same day. Where four or five persons were joint owners of a ship, and they could not agree as to whom they would appoint to exercise tho voto, tho regulations provided that tho man whose name was first on the register should exerciso the privilege. He would amend tho Bill in committee to provide that a candidate for election should bo allowed to stand for any part of his harbour district. "Private Company Business," ClauSß 17 was another safeguard against the private company business that was being worked. Large harbour works were going on and in contemplation, and parties could easily evade the Act by forming a privato compaoy. !£fe knew of a easo where a member of a harbour board was also a contractor for the board, and when attention was drawn, to the fact, the firm of which he was partner just altered its name to "So-and-so, Ltd.," and evaded the wholo c-ll'cct of tho law. He was trying to stop that. All members of harbour boards should bo put on tho same footing, and one member should not be allowed to use his position to become a contractor when others who were acting honestly were debarred. Ho would consider tho point raised against compulsory pilotage, and see if the holder of an exemption should not bo enabled to use it whatever ship ho was in. Mr. Smith: That is the practice at Homo. Mr. Millar added that a limit of size would be necessary, as was provided for in Now South Wales. 'Section 41 of tho Hill would be made clear. The Government did not desire that a harbour board should tako over a valuable lease, and that there should bo no compensation, but it wanted to guard against excessive claims for, riparian rights, when the claims were only of a fancy description. An Imperative Clause. If Clanso 54, dealing with survey certificates, went out, he would report pro-

gress on the Bill. 11-. not going to allow any local authority to over-ride the decision of the iUarilio Department, given under the Board of Trade rules, which were adopted all over tho world. Although tho same provision had been 011 the Statute-book for over !10 years, lit. harbour board had ever attempted to placo the construction 011 it which tin. Auckland Harbour Board had attempted to do, neither was that interpretation possible under Die Act. The new Bill did not interfere with the power ot ;i harbour bnaid to license s-tetimboats. It presented the position that after a vessel hail bcc-n duly Muvtyed, a 11'1 pad received a certificulc from tile Marine IJepartmeiit under the Board of Trades, regulations, the harbour board, winch was an inferior body, knowing nothing about tho matter, should decline to allow' tho vessel to run. . That was the most ridiculous position 'lie had ever seen in his life, and he did not know any other harbour board or local body in tho country, except the Auckland Harbour Board, that would attempt to issutns such a position. They claimed the right to veto the survey certificate of the Department when they had not the power to allow a boat of over live tons to run on their harbour without a certificate irom the Department. It was absolutely necessary that this power which had always been held by the Marine Department, and which was held in all countries by the Marine Department, should be vested solely in that authority. There could not possibly bo dual control