PORT OF NEW PLYMOUTH

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 324, 16 January 1909, Page 6

PORT OF NEW PLYMOUTH

CllAliniAN-S ANNVAL REPORT. .The Chairman, presenting his review ol the year at yesterday's meeting of the New Plymouth Harbor Board, spoke ".is follows: (.'cutlciiieii-l have again the pleasure 'to place before you the annual statement oi i.econnts, and would point out •the steady increase in the receipts, the •iota! revenue for last vear beiii" '£15.303 1.-,s li.id-the highest in the history of ih,; n, wr ,|. The working ac■ount .hows a prolit of v.mii; |jj id a> against ClWilt ISs 2il last year. The ■ovcrdrali at the bank now stands at ' £!Hi)3 Ills Id, an increase of t2!102 5s 8d over the previous year. During the year, however, the sum of £11,079 3 S I'M has been spent on new work -n •connection with the breakwater extension and wharf widening, so the Board's ■luminal position may be considered '■uglily satisfactory. The trade of the port is also steadily increasing. The total tonnage, of imports and exports during IUOS reached 'i 0.234 This also is a record for 'I he port. The increase in imports was 11018 tons, and exports 030 tons, or a 'total of li!>7B tons. Breakwater Protection. Once again I have to report that it has not been necessary to spend any ■money on (In.-; work, which speaks volumes for tlic stability of the protection. Breakwater Extension. The Mini of £73110 Is 7d has been <expended on the extension of the breakwater during the past year, and a length ol 1A) feet lias been added. To this, however, lias to be added the sum ol £lO5 for ten concrete blocks less on hand now than at the commencement of (he year, and £3OO deducted 'lor 000 casks ot cement at 12s per cask 'in excess of those on hand last year. 'llns leaves the cost of tile 135 feet of ■work completed at £7204 Is 7d, equal ■to £53 10s 2d per foot, showing an increase, of £5 12s lid per foot over tha 'cost ol last year's work, the causes of ■tins being an increase iu wages, inereasi cd cost of cement, about ten months working in the lower level of the old Muarry. where very few large stones 'were available, conscquentlv 25 more Works were used than in the same 'amount of work last year, and increased depth oi water necessitating the use of 'more rubble. The whole co,t of the tramway to the shingle bed at Miko'lahi_ has been charged in the current 'years work, and the cost of the powder 'and material for the Fishing Ro.-k •blast, which amounted to about £3OO, 'has also been charged iu the year's

■ The lutal cost of the extension work 'lo dale has been £21,300 Is 4,1 for ~ total length of 504 feet, averaging £4B 7s 10,1 per foot. The total length of 'lhe breakwater is now 2410 feet, or 00 feel past YY. There are at present 83 concrete blocks on hand, valued at LI30!) Ids.

Dredge. The sum ~f C4SI Us 7d has been -v pelided on repairs to the dredge during 'lhe. past year, as against £7O 17s 4d in the previous .year. The dredge received an extensive overhaul during February, and repairs were ell'ected It) the hopper, consisting of new plates and 'angles, and new hopper doors and hinges were also lilted. It is not anticipated that any serious expenditure will lie necessary during the comiii" veav. '£l4lo 14s 11,1 lias been expended on 'working expenses, and the total spe'.it amounts to 01024 8s lid. Seventy-tive thousand seven bunded and twenty yards of spoil have been removed, cost'ing li.OOd per yard, this being 3d per 'yard iu excess of the previous year. Tlie extra cost is largely accounted for by the repairs before ni'enlioned, dredging alongside the wharves in hard material necessitating the use of the grab bucket, and also depositing the spoil at a greater distance than hitherto, which 'greatly reduces the number of loads per day. |

• Tlic nlil i|iuirry is at length work-d mil, iiml it start was made at the Fishing Hook ijinirry in October. Seventoui "thousand nine hundred and nineteen ■tons of stone have been quarried mid 'tinned during the year, as against 17,125 tons for the same length last year. The blast referred to in my last rc]K)rt at •the Fisliiiif» Rock quarry look plaee in tTanwtry last, and was very successful. Tt is estimated that the yield from this blast will be over 30,000 tons of stone, (many of tbo blocks 30 tons and up-

wards. The cost of the powder and material for this blast was about £3OO. Wharf. 'Die sum of .CUUB 14s (Id has been expended on the old wharf during (he ■.year, chielly iki new piles (20 of which im.ve been driven), beams and chafing pieces, and the wharf generally is in a very fair state of repair. Several more piles will have to be driven durinj* the coming yen r. I ' Wharf Widening, i Only an additional (HI feet of this work has been carried out during the year owing to some, of the timber not arriving. This, however, bus nearly all come to hand now, and the balance of the work (.110 feet) will be pushed on with all possible, speed. Forty-three of tile piles are felted and coppered ready fur the work. The sum of £3."i(ili Is 3d has been expended under (his beading, 'including niunlz mctnl and part of the Itimber, as well as (he cost of the (10 feet mentioned.

The increase for the year under this heading being £lB3. Shipping. 535 -vessels entered and left the port during the past year, their aggregate tonnage being 273,402. Returns for the paat fifteen years are as follow:

Hieing a decrease, of IS vessels of BtKj(i tons, and an increase of 0078 tons u imports and exports. ISuildings, Plant and Machinery. The sum. of £725 2s has been expended under this heading during the past year on labour, materia], and machinery repairs. All machinery and buildings arc ni a very fair state of repair. Sales of ■waste material and the electric light engine and dynamo have been made during the year, amounting to .£152 13s Endowments. Xo applications for the unlet sections on Mount Eliot Reserve have been received during the year. The extension ■of tunc, granted to the estate of Sir A. J. Cadman of the ironsand leases will expire on January 25 next. The unsold sections of Kawau l'a Reserve are now open for lease. The Reserve I. at 801 l Block has had a sheep-proof fence erected on the dividing line, and the western boundary has been planted with lupin. This reserve lias also been brought under the hind Transfer Act. ' Harbours Association. 1 The Harbours Rill not )iavin« been brought forward by tiro Minister, no meeting of the Association has taken place during the year. Xew Loan Proposals. ■ Owing to the Hoard's loan.of £2011.000 falling due on May 1 next it was necessary to take steps to obtain a new loan to repay the. balance of the old loan. It was decided to raise a. further sum to complete the harbour according to the plans prepared by the late Mr. Napier 'Bell and Mr. I'. W. Marclmnt, the 'Board's consulting engineer. A Bill was therefore presented to Parliament and ]wssed, giving the Board power to borrow tip to £3110,0110, and the same was submitted to the ratepayers in November and carried by an overwhelming majority, the, voting being—For the proposal, 4017; against, 04(i. It is particularly gratifying to note the almost iinsiuimous vote of the ratepayers on this question. The chairman and treasurer have been authorised by the Board to negotiate as to the raising of this money, and the matter is now in hand.

Harbour Rate and bind Revenue. You will notice that the land revenue lias fallen from £3024 Its 2d in 1007 to '£3152 10s lid in 1008. The harbour rale struck for the year was 3-l(id in the t, which will produce £7731 18s

Sinking Fund. The total worth of this fund on December 31. 1008, was t1i4.20l ISs 2d, the sum of C 51.450 being iu New Plymouth Harbour Board debentures and £OB4I 18s 2,1 in the Bank of New Zealand. The increase in this fund for the year has been £3.)7!1 10s Od. .Members. During the year Mr. flcorgc McLean resigned his position as member for the Haw-era Electoral Ward, and Mr. .1. Marx, of Mangatoki. was elected in his place.

Tin liarbo Scar 1803 Hnr Hfii rem the Cost per yd 12.C6d 1801 22.H15 787 1 8 8.35d 1895 39,080 853 19 0 D.lOd 18(10 07,130 1763 8 11, fl.30d 181)7 114,309 1877 15 10 3 94d IS! i8 135,290 2501 -1 2 4.43d 1899 233,730 ■ 2070 12 1 3 50d 1909 131,278 1458 11 11 2.B0d 1911 95,380 1153 15 li 3.52d 1902 103,320 2125 19 3 4.93d 1903 153.190 1587 12 10 1 2.48d loot 200,088 2117 11 0 | 2.54d 1905 203,0.12 2805 19 7 3,S0d 190B 91,920 1012 18 2 4 21.1 191)7 111,900 15 1 !! 10 11 3 09d 1908 73,720 1921 8 11 0 nod

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Tl»' following U a tal.U. of the land l'c-vumic lor tin. past eighteen years:— 5 eAr Amount. ism .. .. .-ernno it s 18112 71->.-; s A 18!W .. .. in 14 1 11 '»« •• .. 7377 3 1 ]«'•"» B.WS lo 3 l*l'i •• .. (i7l)ll !) 4 "W .. .. 4871) IS t) l«nS ... ,. 5SI35 ;| 2 ISni) .. ,. (180(1 18 4 ' !M|1 ' ■• .. <iii!i4 « :i li«H .. .. .14.-.4 4 S ! l«n2 .. .. 34i; 17 7 ''■»'« .. .. :i.->0(i o u ™ .. .. Kit!) 14 11 1!"K •• .. 21112 17 11 l»0fi .. .. 370!) 7 (1 1!N»" .. .. 3!>iM II 2 '«"« •■ .. 31.12 10 11 This shows a (Iwi-i'iko of .C771 18s 3d for Ih t . year HIilS.