THE PORT OF OTAGO.

Evening Star, Issue 20055, 21 December 1928, Page 4

THE PORT OF OTAGO.

Tun Otago Harbour Hoard’s financial year ended on September 30, and the figures dealing with receipts and expenditure, also tho statistics as to the shipping which made use of the port and the volume of inward and outward trade, were available for the board’s last meeting of 1923. It would have been gratifying to bo able to deduce from these that headway had been made. The most that can be claimed, however, is that tho port has about held its own by comparison with the previous year. Owing largely to the very inadequate service maintained with Melbourne the intercolonial tonnage showed a marked falling away. This, however, was more than offset by an increase in the overseas and coastal tonnage. But the larger number of vessels visiting the port conducted a slightly reduced volume of trade, siuce tho total cargoes inward and outward dropped from 423,201. tons to 399,732 tons. A comparison of values of the cargo handled makes a rather better showing, the amount having risen from £7,821,412 to £8,621,699. These latter amounts, it should be noted, are exclusive of the coastal trade, which is no affair of the Customs Department, by whom such records are compiled. Ono might have supposed that tho Harbour Board, for its own enlightenment, might itself keep a record of the value of the coastal trade, and thus supply what is at present a distinct deficiency in the port statistics. As to the overseas and intercolonial trade there was a falling oft of a quarter of a million sterling in tho imports, but there was an increase of well over a million sterling in the value of the exports, which is possibly the most gratifying feature in the year’s transactions. As to the hoard’s own financial affairs, tho revenue from duos on imports and exports shows a very alight falling away, and an increase of about £5,000 in the board’s total receipts is almost entirely due to a rise to that extent in the “miscellaneous receipts” —whatever they may be. Over £3,000 of this additional revenue was swallowed up by increased expenditure on dredging, which last year cost tho board no less than £26,775. This is about £5,000 more than the board’s revenue from rents for the foreshore endowments principally created by the board’s reclamation by dredging operations. The oidtimo vision of a freo port thus remains as low down on the horizon as ever. Tho size and draught of vessels constitutes a vital factor in the finances of the port. Should there be a further tendency to increase, so almost must the annual upkeep of the Victoria Channel tend to increase, ft is true that, now that the Fort Chalmers wharves have been acquired by the board from the Railway Department, the board will derive more revenue from vessels which do not berth at Dunedin; but as against this there is the cost of tho fairly extensive engineering scheme on Hie too long neglected mole, the purpose of which is to keep the harbour entrance navigable by the largest vessels trading in these waters.

Once again there was a discussion by board members on the system of receiving and delivery of cargo which lias obtained here for many years past. Unquestionably there is a feeling among merchants that this system constitutes an unfair burden on trade. There is evidently a sharp division of opinion among board members on the question. The excuse now prolforod for a continuance of the present system for another three years is that the hoard would incur a considerable capital expenditure in modern cargo-hand-ling equipment of the wharves il it were itself undertaking the receipt and delivery of cargo instead of having it done by contract. TJio very reasonable compromise,suggested by Mr Campbell, that the term for the next contract bo only one year and that in the meantime the hoard devise a more equitable system, was rather unaccountably rejected. This is ri decision which cannot hub be disappointing to those representative bodies which have approached the board on the subject from time to time. The present tendency lor trade which should legitimately come hero to prefer some adjacent port because of the financial saving will certainly not be corrected by anything done by the board at last night’s meeting.