SHIPS & CARGOES

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 114, 11 February 1928, Page 8

SHIPS & CARGOES

WELLINGTON PREMIER PORT TRADE OF THE DOMINION MAINLY UNDER BRITISH FLAG Wellington's status as the premier port of New Zealand is clearly shown in the figures relating to the shipping and trade of the Dominion for 1927 supplied by the Government Statistician in the Monthly Abstract. British ships handle the great bulk of the trade of the Dominion, the proportion being practically 10 to 1 against foreign ships. Last year 635 ships, totalling 2,195,813 tons net register, arrived at New Zealand ports from overseas, of which 575, of 2,005,795 tons, flew the British flag ,and only 60, of 190,000 tons, were of foreign nationality. The following table of arrivals of overseas shipping in Dominion ports for the last six years shows that while the number and tonnage of British vessels has varied slightly, there has been a slight increase in foreign arrivals: —

One Million Tons in the Lead. Wellington easily leads the other ports of the Dominion in the volume of shipping tonnage handled. The arrivals, overseas and coastal, at the four main ports for the twelve months ended December 31, 1927, were as follow:— Net Tonnage Wellington 3,477,700 Auckland 2,402,880 Lyttelton 1,907,384 Port Chalmers and Dunedin 985,394 Thus Wellington had a lead of more than 1,000,000 tons over Auckland during the year. The arrivals of overseas ships at” Auckland during 1927 totalled 489 vessels, aggregating 1,741,474 tons, and at Wellington 463, of 1,966,116 tons ; arrivals of individual ships being counted once at each port, whether entered foreign or coastwise. Here again Wellington leads Auckland to the extent of 224,642 tons, Auckland’s advantage of 25 ships being accounted for by arrivals in the sugar and phosphate trades. Arrivals of overseas ships at Dominion ports during the year 1927 afford the following comparison Stfiins Net Tonnaae

Wellirfgton’s Transhipment Trade. | Counting transhipments both ways, j inwards and outwards, the figures for ; Auckland and Wellington are as fol- I low, i Inwards, Outwards,Total tons. tons. tons. Auckland .. 1,526,581 183,762 2,010,343 Wellington 1,328,055 745,028 2,073,083 Wellington’s pre-eminence as the principal transhipment port of the Dominion is indicated by the fact that 305,556 tons of transhipments out of a Dominion total of 428,132 tons, were handled at Wellington in 1927, as against 77,838 tons at Auckland. Counting transhipments separately, the tonnage figures for the four main Dominion ports last year were as follow: —

Some interesting Figures. An examination of the statistics relating to the classes of cargo handled at Dominion ports discloses some interesting facts. Last year 50,650 tons of butter and 12,047 tons of cheese were loaded outwards at Auckland, which also received 66,877 tons of cement, 296,350 tons of coal, 135,484 tons of artificial manures, 67,509 tons of sugar, and 56,716 tons of wheat. Wellington is the main oil port of the Dominion. Last year the inward tonnage of fuel oil, motor spirit, and kerosene was 191,197 tons, as against 83,815 tons at Auckland. The outward tonnage of these commodities at Wellington was 167,706 tons, and transhipments 25,375 tons. Wellington supplies practically the whole bunker requirements of ships for fuel oil, and while there has been a decrease in the quantity of coal handled here, owing to the increase in the number of oil-burning and motor-ships, it is still the principal coal bunkering port of the Dominion. Coal transhipments at Wellington last year totalled 137,139 tons. Wellington is also the principal wool and frozen meat shipping port of the Dominion. During 1927, 43,41)' tons of wool and 34,611 tons of frozen meat, including transhipments, were loaded at this port.

British. Ton-Forein-n. TonYear. No. nage. No. nage. 1922 ... .. 556 1,730,164 15 52,823 1923 ... .. 639 2,042,300 24 69,579 1924 ... . 682 2,084,817 40 128,138 1925 ... .. 602 1,972,050 54 150,905 1926 ... .. 601 1,971,836 55 150,905 1927 ... .. 575 2,005,795 60 190.018

Port bhips Net lonuage Wellington .. 463 1,966,116 .. 489 1,741,474 Lvttelton .. 245 983,236 Port Chalmers . 222 798,503 Napier .. 117 463,956 Bluff .. 112 371,300 New Plymouth . .. 104 357,453 .. 85 331,880 Westport . 245 262,719 .. 64 240,930 Gisborne .. 71 236,627

Port. Wellington Auckland Lyttelton Inwards. Tons. .... 1,022,499 .... 1,448,743 431,781 2S0.224 Outwards. Tons. 439,472 405,924 259,810 116,399 Transhipments. Totals. Port. Tons. Tons. Wellington . .. . 305,556 1,707,527 .... 77.838 1,932,50 7 Lyttelton .... 2,096 696,697 Dunedin 7,778 404,401