Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1901. THREE PENNY COAL RATE.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 27 August 1901, Page 2

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1901. THREE PENNY COAL RATE.

Undeh the Greymouth and Westport Harbor Boards’ Acts provision was made, should the revenue necessitate such a course, for imposing a special rate of threepence per ton on all coal shipped at either port, such rate to go towards payment of interest and sinking fund upon loans obtained for harbor construction purposes. Many lolks well acquainted with the coal measures and resources of both ports were of opinion that the imposition of this rate would never be enforced, the ordinary revenue being sufficient for all requirements. Up to the present time and for all appearances for many years to come, the Greymouth Harbor Board would not have needed to ask Government for authority to collect this rate. At Westport, however, the position is different, f ho financial strain is being severely felt, and at a time too when the bar has been in a worse condition than it has been in the last ten years. It has been found necessary to ask Government to sanction the collecting of the rate which, upon an output of 400,000 tons, will amount to £5 000, and the Government has agreed to the request. In order, however, to equalise the charges at both ports, the rate has been made

applicable to Grey mouth also. The Chairman's report the other (Ivy, which we published in another column, Bhowod the probablo revenue for the year to Jae £25,000, that £II,OOO will be sufficient to meet interest, sinking fund and departmental expenditure, leaving an available revenue balance of £14,000 to bo utilised for harbor construction. The three penny rate about to be imposed will give the Harbor Board an additional £2,000 revenue or, in other words, £16,000 per annum for harbor works, and this amount will, we'take it, unless some extraordinary expenditure is undertaken, be nearly sufficient to continue the progress of our works without floating any of the last £50,000 loan authorised by Parliament.