WESTPORT HARBOUR.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1861, 22 September 1913, Page 7

WESTPORT HARBOUR.

) EVIDENCE AT COMMISSION. (By Tolerrapii.—Frees Association.) Wostport, September 20. At the Harbour Commission to-day, H. L. Larsen, workshops foreman, gave evidence. Ho stated that his Department was not overmanned. He got his labour instructions from the engineer, who had always supported him in putting men •on, and, m one case, in putting men off. Ho liad never, in any case, received peremptory instructions to put a man on. He could do moro work with additional machinery, but could not get on with less men.

W. G. M'Donald differed from Mr. Munro in that ho believed in a free port. He did not believe that any combine existed, but believed that existing arrange, ments were preferable to those advocated by Mr. Munro of loading vessels" in turn as they came into port. He believed that port and pilotage charges had eventually to be paid by the consumer. He admitted that his proposal might give tho benefit,tp tho outsider over the New Zealander who paid a subsidy in tho form of an endorsement. Ho did not know anything about tho port charges at Newcastle or Durban, but would look them up, and would be prepared to give evidenco on that question on Monday. He thought that the Government had administered the Harbour Aot Amendment of last , year with brute force. He disbelieved in an Act debarring business men from acting on local bodies with which they did business, considering that the system of tendering was sufficient safeguard l .