NEW PLYMOUTH HARBOR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 205, 18 January 1913, Page 6

NEW PLYMOUTH HARBOR.

CHAIRMAN'S ANNUAL REI'ORT. A YEAR OF ACTIVITY. At yesterday's meeting of the New Plymouth llarbor I'.oard, the chairman (Mr. .T. Connett) submitted his annual rejiort for the year 1912. "I have," he stated, "pleasure in pointing out the increased revenue in Hie general account —that for 1912 being £11.503 (Is 4d, as compared with £10.823 12s 8d in 1911 the increase amounting to £079 7s 8(1. The working account shows a net protit of £7360 lis o.d for the year, being £499 3s (id less than the profit for 1911, which is accounted for by the exceptionally heavyexpenditure on the wharf, endowments. plant and material, and warps, but 1 do not expect a recurrence of this expenditure during the current I year. "The total trade of the port shows an increase of 4753 tons, the figures being 91,940 tons for 1912, as against 87,185 tons in 1911. The imports increased by 6585 tons, but the exports decreased by IS3O tons." The report also showed the total ordinary revenue received in the general account for the last three years to be ac follows: —1910, £12,077 3s 2d; 1011, £10,523 12s 8d; 1912, £11,503 0s 4d. LOAN ACCOUNT. The balance of the loan account at December, proceeded the report, was £37,474 17s, the whole of which ig on fixed deposit at the Board's bankers. BREAKWATER PROTECTION. Fifteen concrete blocks have been used for protecting the outer end. of 'the breakwater during the year, and 22 new blocks have been made for future use when required. There are now 80 spare blocks on hiuid for this work. The expenditure under this heading- for the year has been £463 3s 2d. BREAKWATER LIGHT. The work of fixing this light is completed, with the exception of laying the wires, which will be done before the winter sets in; £I7S 4s 2d has been expended on the work during the year. DREDGE THOMAS KING. Eighty-two thousand one hundred and sixty tons of material have been removed 'by this vessel .during the year at a cost of £1650 Is,, averaging 4.82 d per ton. The reason for the additional cost has been largely due to the increased distance the vessel dopo-its the spoil, this being done to prevent the possibility of any portion of the spoil returning to the harbor.

DREDGE PARITUTU. This vessel lias worked very successfully throughout the year. After coming Off the patent slip in Wellington at the end of January last, bucket dredging was commenced and continued up to May when owing to a mishap by which the top tumbler shaft was broken, it was decided to use the vessel's sand pump until such time as she will go to Wellington again for overhaul, when a new shaft will be fitted. Seventy-eight thousand tons of material were lifted with the buckets and 201,200 tons with the sand pump, making a total of 279.000 tons removed. Most of the year the vessel has been engaged in deepening the approaches to the wharf to 25ft L.W.S.T. The cost of the vessel for the year, including the annual overhaul, has been £O9ll 17s 7d, while the cost per ton of material removed and deposited at sea was 5.94 d per ton. Particulars of dredging by the Paritutu for tli£ past two years: Cost Year. Tons. Total cost, per ton li'll 135,250 £ 5,748 16 1 8.87 d 1912 270,200 £6,911 17 7 5.94 d WHARF. A fairly large expenditure amounting to £631 9s has been made on the old wharf during the year. A large number of new piles (38) have been driven and a quantity of new decking laid. WHARF WIDENING. The widening of the wharf by 19 feet mentioned in my last report was completed during the year and the total cost of the work has been £12,471 2s 9d WHARF EXTENSION. The extension to the wharf of 60 feet was commenced at the end of October, and it is estimated that the work will be completed about March next. About half the work was completed at the end of the year. The cost, including the whole of the materials, has been £3303 3s lid. PLANT, BUILDINGS AND MACHINERY. The sum of £5Ol lis 4d has been expended under this heading during the year, while sales amounted to £B9 13s ENDOWMENTS. The Parapara Iron Ore Co., Ltd., to whom the Public Trustee transferred'the ironsand leases, having complied with the conditions of the leases before March 31, 1912, the deposit of £2OOO mentioned in my last report has been refunded WHARFAGE AND DUES. The following is a table of the above during the past fifteen years:—

Tito increase for the year under this heading is £720. SHIPPING. Three hundred and seventy-six vessels entered and left the port (luring the past year, their aggregate tonnage bong 180,486. Returns for the past 13 years are as follows: 'j

Being an increase of nine vessels, of 7969 tons, and. an increase of 4755 tons in imports and (Reports. LAND REVENUE. { Touching on land revenue, the chair- j man said that lie regretted to again re- | port a large failing-off in the land re- }. venue —the figures fpr 1912 being £3122 i 14: i {id, as against £4082 17s in 1911, or! a reduction Vof £9OO 3s 4d. : SINKING FUND 1909 LOAN. " - The amount to the credit of this account at December 31 was £ 10,058 9s 3d, of which £BIOO was on registered mortgage and the balance £1958 9s 3d lying at the bank, but for which an investment has now been found. MEMBERS. He very much regretted to have to < report the death of Mr. W. Swadling, . member for the Hawera-Ellliam ward, | which took place at his home, Ivaponga, 1 during the year. The vacancy was filled by the Governor, for the remainder of the term for which the late Mr. Swadling was elected, by the appointment of Mr. J. Marx, of Mangatoki, a former member of the Board. HARBORMASTER. ' Captain George Holford, late in the ' Union S.S. Company's service, was appointed harbormaster during the year, in place of Captain Newton, resigned. THE YEAR'S TONNAGE. ] The report concluded with a reference to the fact that during the year ending December 31, 1912, 371 steamer?, of a, gross tonnage of 33,291 tons, or a net tonnage of 18,501 tons, entered the port.

fear 1 Cost Tons Total Cost per Ton £ s. d. 1897 114,309 1877 15 10 3 94d 18H8 135,290 2501 4 2 4.43d 1899 232,730 2970 12 1 3.50d 1900 134,278 1458 11 11 2.60d 1901 95,380 1453 15 6 3.52J 1902 103,320 2125 19 3 4.93d 1903 153.190 1587 12 10 2.48d 1904 200,088 2117 11 0 2.54d 1905 20%042 2805 19 7 3.30d 19015 91,920 ]612 18 2 4.21d 11)07 111900 15'->6 16 11 3.09d 1908 75,720 1924 8 11 6 09d 1909 87,840 1542 11 10 4. lC'd 1910 94,839 1764 18 0 4.46d 1911 118,240 1.389 13 2 .82d 1912 8,2,1 fiO 1,650 1 0 4.82

Year Wharfage Berthage Warps Water, &c Port Charges. Total j |I898 £3824 £'14»4 £385 £91 £215 A.5,929 1S99 3797 1549 417 117 201 6,081 1900 3929 1788 455 128 230 6.530 1901 3835 2180 5H8 120 295 6,938 1902 4239 2551 560 48 2u9 7,6 10 1903 4893 2997 572 53 246 8,76 L ! 1904 5200 3242 672 53 277 9,444 j 1905 5019 3551 684 54 295 9,603 ! 1900 5302 5437 732 53 335 11,859 1907 6061 6338 • 759 48 407 13,613 1908 5971 6658 768 62 337 13,796 1909 5927 2960 595 63 • 3*55 ] 9,900 1910 7504 3155 656 132 475 1 L,922 j 1911 6576 3008 593 i44 485 ! 10,726 ! 1912 | 6953 j 2991 604 154 J 74A I 11,446 ;

) Exports Butter & Cheese Other Total Total Exports Sear V essels Tonnage Impori * Exports Exports and. Imports Tons Tons Tons , Tons Tons 1900 415 177,221 28,726 7,733 3,949 11,682 40,408 1901 445 193,020 33,611 8,153 2,818 10,971 44.582 1902 454 189,806 41,675 5,798 3.747 9.545 51.220 1903 482 201,323 47,342 6 705 4,408 11,113 58,455 1904 4,76 228,743 50,970 6,890 5,050 11,940 62,910 1905 500 245,473 49,044 G.953 6 511 13/164 62,SOS 1906 546 261,757 50,471 7,624 7,086 14,710 65,181 1907 553 281,528 57,246 8.615 6 395 15,010 72,256 1908 535 273,462 63,294 8,414 7,526 15,910 79,234 1909 447 213,124 61,926 8,360 5.124 13,484 75,410 1910 389 186,830 72,567 9,240 5,042 14,282 86,849 1911 367 i 72,5i7 71,675 7.737 7,773 15.510 87,185 1912 376 | 1 80,486 78,260 9,423 4 257 13,630 91,940