The Daily News. MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 1921. TARANAKI’S SEAPORT.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 January 1921, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 1921. TARANAKI’S SEAPORT.

The report of the chairman of the New Plymouth Hartior Board (Mr. Newton King) for the year 1920 contains much valuable and interesting information relative to the trade of the port, and incidentally the prosperity of the province. Although the exports show a decrease of 4105 tons as compared with the previous year, there was a nett increase in the total trade of 19,633 tons, due to an improvement in the imports to the extent of 23,740 tons. It would probably be only fair to average the exports for the last two years, and if that course were adopted it would show that over 30,00.0 tons of produce had been shipped each year, as compared with 18,637 tons in 1.918, which was the highest total of exports for the port up to the time. When these figures are compared with those for 1905 it will be seen that the trade of the port has just about doubled in quantity in fifteen years, while the difference in the money value is, of course, very much greater. The most satisfactory feature, however, of the history of the port is that ocean liners are now berthing at the wharf with confidence, twelve having arrived and departed last year, so that although the number of vessels entering the port during 1920 shows a decrease of thirty, the total tonnage is the highest since 1914, and there is every prospect of a large yearly increase, as evidenced by the fact that direct shipments have grown from 3137 tons in 1917 to 8749 tons in 1920. In view of the expansion in the port’s trade, and the increase of a shilling per ton on wharfage, the revenue for the year has naturally risen, the increase amounting to £6713, while the working account shows a nett profit Of £7364 after allowing for the expenditure of £lOOO in the purchase of ten acres of Native land situated in the centre of the board’s reserve at Moturqa—a transaction that should be regarded as a judicious investment rather than an item of expenditure. It was only to be expected that the expenditure side of the account should exhibit considerable increases in wages and cost of maintenance, so that it is all the more gratifying to note that the ordinary revenue increased from £lO,476 in 1909 to over £21,000 in 1920, the wharfage and dues having risen from £9603 to £21,135. As showing how greatly the cost of the board’s work has risen, it may be noted that in 1913 the dredge Paritutu removed 256,000 tons of spoil at an expense of £3128, while the removal of an almost similar quantity last year cost £13,714, though this amount includes the expense of a thorough overhaul of the dredge at Wellington. The report states that fairly extensive repairs have been carried out to the wharf during the year, but the resident engineer, in referring to the question of berthage, states that “the existing wharf is in a very poor condition, and despite the comparatively large sums spent in repairs, a very great deal still remains to be done to bring it to anything approaching a satisfao-

lory state.” It may confidently be assumed that the requisite repairs and renewals will be made as promptly as circumstances permit. On the whole the report, as far as it relates to the working of the port, is quite satisfactory, and the experiments to be made to cheapen the expense and increase the output of rock dredgings show that the resident engineer is imbued with the right spirit of real economy by utilising scientific methods for the work in hand. With regard to the loan extension works there are several matters worthy of notice, especially in relation to the stone problem. Meanwhile the board may justly be congratulated on its work in 1920, and on the excellent results achieved.