"MONSTROUS."

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 982, 24 November 1910, Page 2

"MONSTROUS."

♦ LICENSES OF COAL HULKS. FEES TO BE KAISED. / Tho 'Harbour Board is of opinion that the owners of coal hulks have. been, in altogether too favourable a. position, in the past. The chairman (Mr. 11. Fletcher) asked tho board to agree to a recommendation of the Wharves and Accounts Committee to raise the liceu;*. l fee for coal hulks ami storeships from 10 guineas to ,£3O per annum. Mr. Fletcher said he had received a letter from the Union Steam Ship Co., Ltd., stating that they intended to convert the barque Adderley into a. hulk, and asking for moorings for her. Thinking it strange-that the board should be called on to provide moorings, he asked the harbourmaster for a report on the whole subject. ■ The harbourmaster said that the board had always provided and maintained tho moorings, and this struck him as a perculiar and rather a monstrous tiling. The estimated capital value of the existing moorings and buoys was ,£493". It had been the custom for years past for the board to overhaul the moorings periodically, and they managed to attend to two sete per annum,' costing ,£423. ' The board had licensed 17 hulks, and the fees at i 0 guineas i>er annum, and when interest and depreciation were taken into account, the board's income from them was between £500 and ,£6OO less than the .actual'cost to the board. Each hulk mea.nt.an expenditure of about J!39 a year by the board, leaving a. deficit of X' 29. His own opinion was that tho license fee of 10 guineas should be clear of any liability, and the, board should not spend a single shilling : on moorings. He had been informed by. the deputy-chairman of the Otago Har; hour Board that most of the hulks af Port Chalmers lay alongside the wharves and paid 12 guineas a j;ear to the -Government. They also paid the board an annual fee of X 7 ' 10s. each, and tile 1 board did not spend a single sixpence on the supply or maintenance of moorings. The proposed .£3O tee would not quite cover the cost to tho board. Ho would be glad if thfe owners of the hulks would provide their own moorings, and lie, board would then be in a position to reduce the license fee again to £10 10s., or perhaps. ev'en to .£5 5?., free of any charge on the board. The new set of moorings for the Adderley would cost .£349.' In reply to Mr. C. E. Daniell the chairman said thft board had heen advised that it had no liability in the event of a : hulk breaking adrift. If the hulk owners decided to take over the moorings,- it might be arranged for them to do so at a valuation. To Avoid Loss. Mr. M. Coiien said as the hulks were a source of income to the owners, the board should not .be at any loss in regard to them. . Even under tho chairman's proposal, there would be'a loss of nearly•£lo per annum. The chairman said he had thought it better not to come down too heavily on tho owners all at once. , Mr. W. T. Hildreth took the same view as Mr. Cohen. If the higher fee was to bo a rent for the moorings, the board would, he suggested, be; liable if a hulk broke awav. He moved to make the fee JEIO. This amendment was seconded by Mr. H. C. Tewsley. • Mr, Cohen moved, to refer the matter back to the committee for consideration as to making some provision for moorings being supplied by the owners. . The chairman, suggested that the .best way of arriving at that position would be to raise the fee, and if. the owners protested the board could then treat withthem for the taking. over of the existing moorings and the supply of' new ones wheu required by tho owners. He mentioned incidentally that the board, had spent .£I2OO in providing moorings for. warships. ' The . Government supplied moorings for its hulk Coromandel, but the other. Government hulk, : tho Enterprise, did not have moorings, as .she was nearly always- at 'tte'tvliaff: Neither of these paid any license fee, but ho thought a fee should bo 'paid for the Enterprise, which was used, in connection with the State . Coal Depot, which was, engaged in commercial competition. „'/'<" "It's a- Pound of Flesh." Mr. Harkness hoped the board would not f adopt the amendment. The recommendation of the Wharves and Accounts Committee:had been framed after careful consideration of the position. The speaker'was not sure that the board should try to- make this absolutely a safe earning business. The aim should be to popularise. the port. In demanding' its pound of flesh to-day, instead of agreeing to the 'recommendation" of tho Wharves and Accounts Committee, tho board would adopt a policy that might result in future loss .of revenue. .. .. • Mr. Daniell thought the board should issue licenses, and. give , owners permission to lay down their own, moorings. Mr. Fletcher,' said' the committee had considered the" course' suggested by- 'Mr.Daniell, but they , could, not start now to differentiate. -The/speaker's idea was to get back some of the money that had been expended, but. although<from/the begin-, ning inclined, to jnorcase. the charge, he did not want ..to. make'a big. jump. ; He thought the charge of ,£3O would have' met the case. The amendment proposed by' Mr. Hild-. reth, increasing tho charge to JMO, was carried on' the voices. , The board further decided to make the following addition to the by-laws.— - i The owner or licensee of every coal hulk shall, whenever required by the . board, slip or dock - such hulk for , examination. . Every, coal hulk shall bo slipped for the purpose of being inspected .by the harbourmaster at least once in every three years. This, with some minor .amendments, will come into force on December 16. The application of the "Union Steam Ship Company, Ltd.. for hulk moorings for the barque "Adderley was granted. ■