HARBOUR BOARD'S LOSS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1904, 12 November 1913, Page 8

HARBOUR BOARD'S LOSS.

CURRENT ESTIMATE.

A statement was made yesterday with regard to the Wellington Harbour Board's loss through the strike. It is estimated that revenue lost must be in tho neighbourhood of £20,000, whilst an expenditure of about £10,000 lias been incurred, without any corresponding revenue to meet it. This expenditure is made up of interest, sinking fund, and other loan charges, maintenance, wages, and salaries, and. miscellaneous charges. The loss in wages to the board's casual workers is estimated at some £2000 a week. Tho 'total wages paid_ per week to all hands is £2500. During the year ended September 30 last the total sum paid by the board in wages was £123,062—a little more than. £10,000 a month. The total expenditure of the board for the year was over £150,000. September is: one of the slackest months of the year, but last September the tonnage of the ships 'which arrived in the port totalled 242,781. The oxport season is now at its height, and it could have been expected that the shipping in the port this month would liave readied over 300,000. .The tonnage of cargo which passed over the wharves in November of last year was: —Inward, 33,557 tons; outwards, 12,703,t0ns and 23,363 bales of hemp and wool. For September of this year the figures were: —Inwards, 51,393 tons; outwards, general, 12,583 tons, and 11,910 bales. The wool season not having been fairly commenced in this inoutli, it was anticipated that thero would be a great increase oil these figures, for tho month of November, especially as the figures for September, the slack month, had shown such a substantial increase over those for tlie corresponding period of. last year, It is therefore certain that the revenues of the board. will suffer very considerably. Tho total revenue for the year ended September 30, 1912, was £215,569. This year's figures are not yet available.