RATE FOR HARBOUR IMPROVEMENT

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 121, 15 February 1921, Page 6

RATE FOR HARBOUR IMPROVEMENT

SURCHARGE ON FREIGHT ACCOUNTS iMATTER BEFORE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE c At yesterday's meeting of the Chamber of Commerce Mr. H. D. Vickery (secretary) presented for the enlightenment and guidance of members a report on the harbour improvement rate in i "‘Wellington. The report was as under: — "Section 208 of the Harbours Act, 1908, empowers harbour boards to make . by-laws providing that harbour improvement rates not exceeding in any case 2s. per ton by weight or by measurement shall be levied upon all goods discharged at or shipped from the port. The Wellington Harbour Board, under its by-law No. 241, imposes a harbour im- !■ ' provement rate on all inward and transhipment goods discharged within the limits of the harbour of Wellington, except on coal and ballast, and except New Zealand products which are landed for the purpose of transhipment, to bo carried out of the Dominion. On coal, whether landed on wharves or translDtPped, a Charge is also made. Originally the charge was 6d. per ton on goods and Id. per ton on coal. An alter•ation was made in 1916 making the charge Ts. per ton on goods. On October 1, 1920, the charge was altered to Is. fid. per ton on goods and 2d. per ton on coal. . . "Under the by-law the harbour im- : proveihent rate is a charge payable to • . the 'harbour boards by ships, but is ■ based upon the quantity of goods discharged and not upon the tbnnage of ships. Recently the shipping, companies have been'surcharging freight accounts on goods landed at Wellington with Is. 6d. per ton (harbour improvement rate). It, is to be noted t'hat the charge is not ilhe amount of the increase in the harbour improvement rate, i.e., 6d. per ton, but the full amount of the rate. This is, of course, equivalent to an increase in freight on goods shipped to Wellington of Is. 6d. per ton. At the last council meeting the question was raised whether the harbour improvement rate could not be imposed upon goods exported and shipped from Wellington. The Act s-htes that the rate shall be levied on all goods discharged at or shipped from the port. The harbour board presumably as a matter of policy has imposed the harbour improvement rate upon goods' discharged. It is evident that the board reads the seo'.'ion as meaning that it is empowered to discriminate between goods discharged and goods shipped." Mr. C. H. Bowden said that it would greatly facilitate matters if the Harbour Board, instead of putting a penny on here and twopence on there, would include the w*hole of the rates in the wharfage. When it was asked how Wellington compared with Auckland in regard to the rate, members said that a comparison was difficult as the systems were different. The secretary said that the Auckland board had a harbour improvement rate three years ago, but if seemed as if it had been done away with. Miff J. Myers said that the whole, of the amount should not be paid by imbut might be shared by the exporters! The. chairman (Mr. •Carr): It’s the old policy of passing it on. Mr. n. D. Bennett thought tliats more information was required about this rate, and on his motion the matter was referred to the Importations Committee.