IN A SOUND POSITION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 148, 18 March 1919, Page 6

IN A SOUND POSITION

3ARBOUR BOARD FIGURES

, SECRETARY'S REPORT

.In tiro courso of his annual report tho secretary of tho Harbour Board (Mr. IT. E. Nicholls) said:— "The chief events of the board's year have been the Seventh Harbours Conference, the Accidents Commission, the question of regulations regarding benzine and other inflammable oils, the negotiations with the Bailway Department and the Wellington City Corporation respecting the Thormlon reclamation, and tho dispatch of tho board's engineer, Mr. James Mnrchbanks, to the United States and Canada to examine and r?povt upon the most up-to-date methods of handling and distributing coal, benzine, and other commodities. The same causes which since the opening of the war have op-rated-against the active prosecution of new harbour works continued throughout the year just ended, viz., the impossibility of loan flotation and the high cost nnd scarcity of materials. Consequently, the board's work has been almost entirely restricted to the repairs nnd maintenance of existing structures, plant, and machinery. AVith the reasonable prospect of the war ending in an Allied triumph in the near futurea consummation devoutly to be wished— it will behove the board to arrive at an early decision with regard to its, programme of works and the flotation of a loan. Additional berthage and storage accommodation will be urgently, needed as soon as trade and shipping become normal. Wellington, if it desires to keep its pride of place among the ports of the Dominion, will-have to bestir itself nt the earliest favourable moment. Greater Reclamation. "\t the May meeting of the board it was decided that, in addition to the conferences which had already taken place between the chief engineer of the Railwny Department, tho City Engineer, anil the board's engineer (Mr. Marchbanks), with reference to the greater reclamation at Thorndon, a further one. should be arranged nt which tho engineer of the Public Works Department should also be present, the questions to.be discussed beiii":-(l) Is it advisable in the best interests of the Government, the corporation, nnd the board to proceed with tlie greater reclamation at Ihorndon? (2) Is it advisable to provide facilities for unloading and bunkering coal at Thorndon? This further conference was duly held aifd the engineers decided to answer both questions in the affirmative, the Bailway Department has modified its original plan of the proposed station, with a view to arrange the layout so as to proVide the minimum amount of land required for harbour board purnoses. It was, found impossible,to complete the modified plans before the departure of the board's engineer for America, so'an understanding was arrived at that the, matter should stand over until- his return. At a meeting between the General Manager of the Railways, the Mayor of Wellington, and the chair' man of'the board, held subsequent to the departure of Mr. MaTchbauks, the completed plans were shown and discussed. It was made clear that a workable basis of procedure as between • the board and the-Railway Department had been reached, though details would have to bo settled between the engineers, and legislation would be necessary before the work could'be commenced.

Wool and Skins. "Out of a total of 147,910 bales of wool and skins and 107,627 bales of hemp and tow shipped over the wharves during the year ended September 30. 19U>. 71.085 bales.of wool ■and skins and bales of hemp and tow. or 48 and 4.34 per cent, of the resolutive totals, were dumped by' the board; or jointly, 108,121 bales were dumped by the board out of a total of 255,537 bales shipped, or 42.3 per cent., as compared with 118,119 bales (41.4 per' cent.), 139.082 bales (41.G per cent.). 123.52G bales (44.8 per cent.), and 109.719 bales (41.94 per cent.) in the four preceding years.' The number of bales of wool, skins, hemp, and tow upon which the board received storage during the twelve months just ended amounted to IGS.GO9 bnW or 65.9 por cent, of the bales shinpedf as against .201.222 bales (70 per cent.). 228.5G9 bales (68.2 per cent.),' mid 176.071 bales (G3.9 per cent.) in the three preceding years. The revenue derived from storage charges on wool, skins, hemp, and tow was ns compared with .J88398, .£BBI4. and .£5927 in the three preceding years." Coal. Some striking figures ( respecting importations of coal aro given in the report (including a .six-year comparative table). Below we give only the two year comparison, but even there the fallingoff in the coal handled in Wellington is a sad commentary on the state of labour, in this country. The table is as follows:— 1917-18 1916-17 Tons. Tons. (a) Coal passing over wharves and paying wharfage 167,209 176,172 (b) Coal'for Government uso passing over ' wharves and exempt from wharfage 68,601 78,177 (c) Coal transhipped over- \ side from vessel to vessel at wharves .:.... 207,817 229,522 (d) Coal transhipped overside froni vessel to vessel in stream 2,899 7,517 '446,586 491.388 The report says:—"As compared with the figures for the preceding year this shows a decrease in the aggregate total of 44,802 tons, equal to 9.1 per cent. Coal over wharves. paying wharfage 8803 tons or 5 per cent. .Government coal expiupt from wharfage decrensed by 9576 tons, equal to 12.2' .per cent. Coal transhipped overside at wharves | decreased by 21,705 tons or 9-4 per cent., whilst coal transhipped overside in stream decreased by 4GIB tons, equal to 61.4 per cent." FINANCE. "The total debits to importers and exporters totalled .£175,680, as compared with .£138,158 in the year preceding; and to ships or their agents .£135,538, as against ,£121.174 in the previous twelve months.' Other debits amounted to .£15,464, ns compared with'' .£21,422 in the year preceding. The total gross revenue amounted to ,£326,089, an increase of .£JS,3BG over the previous period, and forming a record for the board. Reviewing the chief items iu the statement, it will be 6eeu that inward wharfage (over oity wharves) totalled .£56,612, as compared with ,£54,044 in the preceding year, or an increase of .£2568; outward wharfage (over city wharves) amounted to .£13.697, a decrease of ,£1599; whilst transhipment wharfa.go (over city wharves) totalled £36,561, an increase of •E5149; inward and outward wharfages collected by tho Railway Department for the board on goods landed into and shipped from railway trucks direct amounted , to ,£5887, as compared with ,£G43O, ajlecline of ,£543. Inward and outward wharfage and berthage-rate at suburban wharves produced J62454, as compared with .£2505. a decrease of ,£sl. Summarising inward, outward, and transhipment wharfages at all wharves, the total for the venr ended September 30, 1918, was .6115,210, as against .6109.687 for tho yenr preceding, an increase of .£5523, equal to 5.03 por cent. Tho charges for receiving and delivering Government cargo amounted to .£1740, as compared with ,£H9(i for the year preceding, an increase of ,£244.

"Extra labour charges amounted to .£12,819. as compared with -£11,211. an increase of .£0.05; woißhin? charees totalled as compared with .£402, an increnso of i.30; marking, .£2OO, as against ,£I9G, an increase cf .£4; examination charges totalled .BIOKO, as compared with JC1077, a decrease of .£8; and cartage charges amounted to JXtKH, as against .£2557, an increase of ,£481: wool exhibition charges declined from .£3216 to .C23M, a decrease of .£905. Use of hydraulic, plant amounted to -GIO.BBB, as against .C 8239. an increase of .£2029; and use of dustbins, trollies, and other plant totalled ,£lO7, as compared with .£47, an advance of ,£(io. Overtime labour, bointr the difference between day and overtimes rates for labour recouped by the board from ships, totalled .£14,719, as cnmw.red with .£11,102, an increase of J!3B17; whilst charges for receiving Wollinglon caivo received in overtime hours totalled ,£4947, as against ,£4294 in tho previous year, an

increase of £(63. All other storage amounted to £60,473, as compared with .£28,205, nn increase of .£32,168; but it must be romembered that in this year's totnl is mclndcd tho revenue from tlio' board's cool storage of cheese, a new and very important source of revenue. The large total is mninly due to thejshortago of ships owing to war condition's, and is not likely to be reached in any normal period.

'Ihe charges for pressing wool and hemp totalled ,£11052, as compared with i111.1D7, a decrease of ,£1545. Wharfage on ballast amounted to £"i, as compared with ,CG in tho year preceding. Transhipping charges on booked-through passenger' luggago declined from .£lO to .£1; rent of stores and offices totalled as compared with .C 750, an increase of ,£24. Bonded warehouse rent and charges advanced from ,Cs2Cfi to .£5671, an increase of 41105. Weighbridge charges produced ■£305. as against'.£loo9, a'decrease of ,£lO4. Harbour improvement rate produced .{26,381, as compared with i 24.795, an increase, of ,£ISS3. Water supplied to shinning totalled ,£11.2.10, as compared with ,£O.RSfI, nn increase of £1354. Pilotage, port chnrws, and harbourmaster's fees totalled' .£10.756, as against £10,100. an increase of £650. Berthage rate produced £6978, as eomnnred with £6743, an increase of £235. Miscellaneous charges amounted to £SSJB. as against .£2917. nn increase of £2329. Rents" yielded £39-10. as compared with £8015 in tho preceding year, all advance of £895. Licenses and fees pro* duced £1085, as compared with £1207, a decrease of £122; fees for special services remained as before. £100. Tolls on passenger vehicles produced £509, as commred with £520, a decrease' of £11. • Charges on furniture and theatrical scenery amounted to £47G, as compared with ,£-.132, an increase of £44. Refunds, snips of unclaimed goods, and sundry miscellaneous receipts amounted to £1259, as against £4951! iii the previous year, a decrease 'of £2907.

''The total receipts of the board since its first operation on October 1, 1880. to Sentembe-- 30, .1918, amounted to £5.058,820. of which sum £1.202,014 were loan jiionnvs. £90,871 refunds of capital, and £4.356.935 income, of which last sum £314.736 represents the receipts during tlin past year.

"The total expenditure of the hanrd to September 30. 1918. reached .£5,430.432, ov, evoliiding ,£350.000 loans renavment, -£5.080.432. Of this amovnt £3,270.(140 represents working expenditure and ' int»r«t. .#307,717. renairs and maintenance. .£1.591.110 canital expenditure, and •''109.905 contributions to sinking fund. Tlip evnendit""p during the past year was as fnlloi<-s: Wirkin? expenditure and interest. ,£243,158; renairs and maintenance, -f.in.fl2t; capital pxpemlituro. £13.168; si"l--'V fund, JM; total, £280.717.

" T t is somewhat strange on first vie"' H«it for a yor in which the costs of nilIsi'iour, salaries, cartage, hoop steel, end "•■'ier services and Tutorials were higher tlmn ever before and in which many imreuNit heads of revenue =howed a. marked dcline on prp-wir figures, the net fiiv-ncinl result «u>nld M b« the lW snlisfnclw in the hoard's history. The recoil, is tn.b» found in tho fact that nwinf to the "bort<w of shinning caused by tbe wnr the stooge "ccommodat'i'l provided bv the board, alike for import" and oxports— wool, and general roods—was taxed f"' the uttermost throughout the year, the TCvenu" benefiting irrpatly in consequence. ■■ The n"t mv-.fit nn working account amounted fa ..en,", 018 11s. ' M.. as compared with /W. 250 end ,811 "V in th» two pr«ceding v>»rs. Tt would b» rn'sh tn look unnn tlii;; rcnlt as an.tt'Mn" but abnormal. When th" scomitv of shiTmi-""- is wor a ("•"■>t part of tl"'s roveniio from will in all probability- ho 'lost, whilst working expenses must almost' certainly increase."