DIRECT SHIPPING.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 October 1920, Page 4

DIRECT SHIPPING.

AN IMPORTANT EVENT. CELEBRATED BY COMMEB CIAL INTERESTS, REGULAR SERVICE FROM HOME. OFFERS BY SIIfPFINO COMPANIES.

An important event in the development of the port—the arrival of the Mamari, the first boat to bring general cargo direct from Kngland, was celebrated yesterday by a Chamber of (Joininereo luncheon at the White Hart Hotel, at which were assembled visitors from various parts of the province and Wanganui. The morning had been spent in viewing the harbor improvements, a party of about thirty, including representatives of the Hawera, Wanganui, Kltliam, Stratford, and Inglewood Chambers of Commerce making a trip by Harbor Board launch round Moturoa island. The outing gave the visitors a clearer insight into the proposals for the advancement of Taranaki's deep-sea port. Among those who made the trip were Captain Summers and Chief Officer Johnson, and they were keenly interested in the proposals. The party also made an inspection of the Mamari during the forenoon, and then motored to the suburbs of Westown and Frankley Road. At the luncheon, there was an attendance of about eighty, fully representative of commercial and professional interests of the province. Among the visiting Chambers of Commerce delegates were the following: Messrs. A, C. Brown (president), and A. Harris Wanganui; F. Mills, Hawera; I. J. Bridger and Thorpe, FJthain; J. B. Richards and P. Thomson, Stratford; .T. \V. Wintield and A. Surrey, Inglewond. The Harbor Board was represented by several member/, and there was a large attendance of members of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce.

The acting-president of the Chamber (Mr. T. C. List) presided. He extended a warm welcome to the visitors. He remarked that it was one of the moat representative gatherings ever hold in the town. He. expressed regret at the absence of Mr. Newton King (chairman of the Harbor Board) through illness. Mr. King had conveyed his regret at not being able to attend and join in the celebration of such an important event. Apologies were also sent bv the Hon. Oliver Samuel, Mr S. G. Smith, M.P., Mr. W. H. Moore (Shire Line), Mr. James Findlny (Shaw, Savill and Albion Company), Captain Rainey (jnmt manager of the Commonwealth and Dominion Line), Geo. Callander (N.Z. Shipping Company), and several others. After luncheon a number of toasts were honored, commencing with that of "The King."

THE HARBOR. The toast of ''the most important Board in Taranaki —the Xcw Plymouth Harbor Board," was proposed by Mr. E. P. Webster, who said that no doubt the Board was aware that the public eye was»on them at present. The people were anxious—and no doubt the Board were—to see the harbor as nearly us possible finished within the next fewyears, i There were, of course, a great many diftieulties in the way, one being the supply of labor. He recalled that only a few years ago the vessels had'to put in 'alongside the breakwater, and the harbor then, was a very primitive one. , To-day they had a 'wharf, and many developments could be anticipated in the near future.

Replying to the toast, Mr. E. Maxwell, senior member of the Harbor Board, recalled the various phases in the history of the port. Jinny, he said, would remember the .first endeavors to make n harbor. On this occasion, m the effort to provide for coastal shipping, a loan was raised, but when they had expended the money they even then lacked the facilities 'for the coastal trade. Xext the'extension of the breakwater was attempted. This work ,hnd been carried oui successfully, (he Board fortunately experiencing better times than the present for 'the task. He thought that on that occasion the Board had carried out all thai was expected of them. The third stage, Mr. Maxwell said, was the present one. for which the raising of money had been sanctioned by the ratepayer's some time ago. He thought they had now arrived at the period when they could feel satisfied that the port could accommodate ocean-going boats. The Mamari, he believed, was the twenty-fourth large vessel ko enter the port. The Board, however, had a great deal before thorn. The extension of protection was being looked for, and it was essential that almost concurrently with this work the matter of providing further accommodation should receive attention.

NATURAL ADVANTAGES. New Plymouth was in many ways fortunate as regards Hid port; it never hail the disadvantage of the great range encountered on the Kast Coast and°could give reasonable protection for overseas boats. The present depth of water was 3.1 feet at low spring tides, and 45 f M t tit high water, so that there was nothmg to complain of on (his seore. Further shelter was needed, and the Board was pushing on with this as fast as thev possibly could. One big problem toiie faced was the insufficiency of labor offering and the lack of acoommodaiion for laborers. The question „f procuring plant had been a difficult one, but the engineers had done their best to expedite matters;.it had been a bio- task -Mr. Maxwell said the gathering that day must be of advantage to the port and to the district. Visitors from outside \ew Plymouth could gain an idea of the operations, and also see an ocean iner of considerable size lying at the berthage in perfect safety. ' Though he might be judged optimistic ho believed that the port would ultimately be anionthe leading ports of the colony (Ai° plaiise.) it could not fail to'be otherwise; the quality of the land within easy distance of the port was so high find capable of such big production that it required as an outlet a port almost second to none in the Dominion \ further factor was that no country area in -New Zealand was so closely settled -is Taranaki, and that as New Plymouth was the only practical port for ocean

going vessels on the West Coast, It' would drain a very large area. Know* ing this the Board would have to d* their utmost to develop the fort 99 rapidjy as possible.

A SELF-SUPPORTING HARBOR. The speaker urged the necessity of co-operation by the people of the pro' vince with the Board in their efforts, and said that such action would be of great assistance In them. He pointed out that whilst in the old days loans were secured by a rate it was a good thing for the nominal ratepayer, and significant of the progress of the port, that for the past ten or eleven years no rat* had been collected; in other words, the port had been self-supporting. (Hear, hear.)

Speaking of the future, he said the harbor was one that would never be finished in the actual meaning of the word, as a progressive harbor always was receiving attention. The Board was, however, pushing on with the urgent work as circumstances would permit, arid the hopes of all were being steadily realised. The occasional visit of an overseas boat with imports would not serve Taiunaki, and later they would need a regular service.

DIRECT SHIPPING. Speaking to the toast of "Direct Shipping," the acting president of the Chamber (Mr. T. 0. List) expressed the pleasure all felt at the arrival at New Plymouth of a boat with a cargo of general goods from the United Kingdom. While in the past they had had ship* ments of slag and other bulk materia), this was the first occasion that a consignment of general merchandise had been brought by direct steamer. For a long time past the Taranaki Chamber had been endeavoring to promote a regular service, believing that the time had come when the province should have its own direct service between Kngland and N T ew Plymouth The support that had been given to the movement by the other parts of Taranaki had been exceedingly gratifying, all being with the Chamber in the desire to establish the service.

At the present time Taranaki paid for its goods A">s per tpn coastal freight, and on top of that wore the charges for wharfage, sorting, transhipping, and forage in Wellington, amounting to not les ß than 10s per ton, and sometime* very much more, owing to the infrequent coastal services, etc., so that the total amount levied on Taranaki goods was over 33s per ton. In the past Wellington hail probably served the province as well us circumstances permitted, but Taranaki men now felt that the business had grown past the stage when they should depend entirely on transhipment from Wellington. Last year the overseas imports into New Plymouth were over 31,000 tons, apart from I the coastwise imports, and Pa-tea transhipments were over 0000, a total of 37,000 tons, which meant that the province was mulcted to the extent of £7,0,000 per annum in extra freights'and charges.

A QUARTERLY SERVICE. ( ' The-speaker said the Chamber reaUsed the difficulty of getting all the cargo direct, but believed that it was possible to establish a quarterly service from England to New Plymouth and make it perfectly successful! . > In connection'with the transhipment of goods, he referred to several inconveniences which were experienced. There was a good of delay, amounting to weeks in some cases, and this was a serious loss indeed, especially in the case of those dependent on seasonable goods. In addition to this there wfcs Ihe matter of storage charges in Wellington, for which one man recently paid £BO. Direct shipments would obviate all this. Pillage and damage to cargo was rampant in Wellington, while evils of this sort, in New Plymouth were likely to he very small. It could be claimed that as far as pillage was concerned it was unknown in New Ply. mouth. (Applause). Labor troubles also seemed to centre round tlie bigger towns, while disputes were very rare in ; New Plymouth. Errors in sorting and goods being sent to the wrong sheds were 'frequent causes of delay in transhipment, and often the consignee, wai< unable to obtain redress. On the ither hand, errors in sorting at New Plymouth would he few, and there would be no difliculty in sheeting home the fault to the responsible party. In the matter of adjustment of claims there shouM be littlo difficulty, and thus the direct stripping would avoid the many dispute* which arose between business men In this province and companies in Wellington.

Another item which was militating against Taranaki waa the fact that 1 port charges at the centres, and costs of transhipment were continually increasing; the speaker understood" that the charges at New Plymouth were amongst the lowest in New Zealand.; They wanted to render themselves independent as far as possible of such troubles as had been enumerated. Last year the port's trßde was about 100,000 tons, and the overseas import* amounted to over 31,000 tons, and ft. should not be very difficult with such a trade, the speaker remarked, to establish u regular direct service. The Chamber wanted the shipping companies to put on the berth at Home a boat for Xew Plymouth every three months. They wanted a regular time-table, bo lliat importers could make their arrangements ahead. So far very encouraging replies had been received from the shipping' companies concerned. Tlm companies had intimated that they would iif.lp the Taranaki people to help themselves.

OFFERS FROM THE SHIPPING , COMPANIES. ■ , The chairman then read t!u! following letter from Mr. Findlav to the lopl agents of the Shaw, Savill Company (Newton King, Ltd.): "I have every confidence that as agents of Hie Company you will be able to aiiute both importers ami exporters of the de»l» of.' this eompuny to enter Tor your progressiva port. Tills company, as you arc aware, >ia» followed the (lerclonmntt cf your port with the greatest Interest nnd, If I am corw;tly informed, has carried two direct enrmes «nd also the first export cargoes. '■l very fully approriate the desK- <n "our, pan for a direct inward sorriee in vlcWj of the disabilities which you- suitor 11-rough-. congestion of sheds and coVsral shipping at Wellington. I can foraee no reason. In «lew of the due completion of the shed r.t the wharf, built at the suggestion o' rnntalu Chudley. as shelter against north-west and westerly winds, why opportunities.should not be afforded for fairly regular shipments at approximately tl'rce-monthly intervals (assuming, for example, that soy 1000 tons Is forthcoming In e'ach case a» a minimum) from England. "I feel sure It Is hardly necessary ro Impress upon you' the of profeeding with the contemplated Improvements for the expansion of your port as rapidly as circumstances will permit, so that In the near future wo may have every cnnfMwe in recommending ro the London office that a larger type of steamer may serve the port." (Continued on six)