TIMARU HARBOR BOARD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1396, 24 September 1885, Page 2

TIMARU HARBOR BOARD.

A special meeting of the Timaru Harbor Board was held on Tuesday. Present—Messrs W. Moody (Chairman), E. Elworthj T , J, Talbot, J. Wilson, A. Hayes, J. Kalland, K. F. Gray, E. Acton and M. Jones, The Chairman said that in accordance with instructions agreed on at last ordinary meeting he had called a special meeting to consider the Loan Bill. He had, as desired, prepared a statement, which the Secretary then read. The Timaru Harbor Board, in recommending the ratepayers to sanction the raising of a further loan, place before them the results of the expenditure of the first loan sanctioned in 1882 ; the benefits derived from the increased shipping facilities resulting from that expenditure ; and the reasons why the Board recommend the further prosecution of improvements in the harbor, The expenditure of the first loan of £IOO,OOO (which will be all exhausted early in 1886) is shown as under £ Breakwater, 600 feet (added to the length existing in 1882,1300 feet), making in all 1900 feet of solid structure (includingapproach) ... 57.452 Wharves part of No. 5 (widening contract), whole of Nos. 6 and 7, and Moody wharf, in all 996 feet (total wharfage existing 1836 feet, which affords 1370 feet available berthage for shipping), ... ... 22,500 Plant, including new crane, Samson (£3500) 7,400 Dredging 1,290 Buildings, £500; reclamation, £64 564 Salaries, and expenses 3,993 Expenses floating loan and discount 2,863

£96,062 The balance of £4OOO will likely be required to complete the extension of main wharf, authorised to be constructed to where the curve begins, 120 feet. It is proposed to apply the next loan of £IOO,OOO as nearly as may be on the following lines ;

£ Ist. 400 feet of Breakwater at £lO per foot ... ... ... 44,000 2nd. Dredging the harbor euffioienlly to accommodate large Home going steamers as soon as possible, and thereafter providing dredgingplant sufficient tokeep the harbor at proper depth... ... 25,000 3rd. Reclaiming foreshore north side of Breakwater, giving five acres valuable building sites ... ... 8,000 4th. Extending Moody Wharf 400 feet .. 10,000 sth. Expenses floating loan and discount, say 4,000 6th. Remainder reserved !for contingencies which may arise ... 9,000

£IOO,OOO

The total trade of the port during the years 1882, 1883, 1884, and the first half of 1885 keeps at much the same figures, 62,000 to is annually. It may be safely assumed from the steadiness, of these figures that the lowest point of production in the district has been reached, and that the least stimulus to production will cause a considerable advance in these figures. But passing on with the merest reference to this reasonable expectation, the Board has great satisfaction iu pointing out that the nat revenue for each year since, and including, 1882, has exceeded that of its predecessor, and the first half of 1835 quite warrants the assumption that the year 1885 will produce the largest net revenue which the Board has yet bad the pleasure of making, promising to be close upon £4OOO. It is a gratifying fact that the Board’s finances have fairly met its burdens of expenses and interest on loan without any special increase in the rates of shipping and port dues, and that the savings effected to the producing and consuming population have been considerable and sufficiently striking to call for special notice here. On comparing the business of the year 1884 (which cost the public for harbor charges £9274) with the rates which would have been charged for the same work in 1880 (£13,208) a clear saving to those interested of £3934 has been made for them. Minor savings also are now made by much of the cargo shipped and landed being sent direct on trucks to the consigning point without incurring intermediate storage, receiving and delivering and exira haulage. There has also been a reduction on the rate of insurance, but over and above all these savings there is a much more important fact that the facilities of recent years haveentrely relieved the producers of the district of the serious cost of transhipping by steamer or craft to Port Chalmers or Lyttelton.

ib The saving on wool alone in 1884 means 2,300 Saving on wheat (on average of 4 last years’ shipments to the United Kingdom), 86,OOOsacks per annum ... ... ... ... 3,200 5,500 Add saving on shipping charges ... 3,000

Shows a sum total of at least £9,400 Which the district now saves on a year’s work compared with the more expensive and troublesome costs of the port which existed only a few years ago. Reductions do not strike attention so forcibly as increases in charges do, and as it may have escaped notica that these savings have been so considerable, it is desirable that the facts should bo recalled and recorded for reference and comparison in time to come. If the conditions of shipping had remained as they weie only four years ago, the stage at which operations have arrived might have sufficed for some time to come for the accommodation of shipping in the style then current, vessels of 1200 tons now finding complete shelter and prompt despatch—hut the aspect has entirely altered within the last three years, and now that the commerce of the colonies finds conveyance by steam vessels of great capacity, the question of keeping abreast with the age forces itself peremptorily upon the Board, which would fail in its duty if it did not unhesitatingly recommend the extension of improve-

moots with the immediate object of havingl as much as is possibl« of their business done in (lie most modern style. In order that this desirable end may bo

attained, (he Hoard recommend the borrowing of a lo in of £IOO,OOII, at 4 per cent. This, with the 5 per cent, loan now current, means, when the whole of the second loan is expended, that £9OOO will have to be found annually to meet interest. It will fake three years to overtake the programme of improvements, and as there will he a profit obtained from the balance of money held here, being invested at a higher rate than we pay for the new loan, the Board does not anticipate that any demand will be made in the form of rate bifore the new loan is nearly all expended. Even then, should the Board ask the district to contribute towards payment of interest, a reference to the extent and value of the harbor rating distant shows that no great anxiety need exist on the score of liability of the ratepayers to maintain and develope their port. The rateable value of the district reaches six and a half million sterling (£6,500,000). Its area is 2,718,800 acres. The small rate of three-sixteenths of a penny per £ would realise £SOOO. The direct savings which have been pointed out already far exceed this amount, and the Board reccommends and urges the ratepayers to agree with hearty goodwill to their proposal, which has for its object the making of a harbor and port worthy of the district. Its capacity for prod mtion being but in its infancy, there can be little doubt that the establishment of facilities suited to the present times would largely aid in fostering the productions for which the soil and climate are so eminently suited. William Moody, Chairman.

The Chairman said Mr Goodall, Consulting Engineer, had replied by telegraph to the questions put to him, there not being sufth ient time before the meeting to reply by letter. The questions and answers were as follow What is the area of shelter that will be given by the Breakwater when the present contract is finished ? Partial shelter, 115 acres ; good, 61 acres.

What is the additional distance it would be prudent to extend the Moody Jetty, provided the Breakwater is not extended ? -Two hundred feet. What is the u'most amount of bcrihage accommodation that can be provided as the works now stand ?—Breakwater whuf, 1000 feet; Moody Wharf, two

Bides 250 feet, equal 500 feettotal, 1500 feet. What additional area of shelter would be given by extending the Breakwater a further SCO feet ?—Partial shelter, acres; good, 36 acres. What distance ought the Moody Wharf be then extended; also how much additional wharf accommodation could be provided I —Moody Wharf could be extended 400 feet further, provided T’s from Breakwater are not built, and 2000 feet could be extended from reclamation line. What sum approximately will be required to extend the Breakwater 500 feet further, to provide the additional jetty accommodation that such extension will allow for; also to effect reclamation works and erect suitable offices for the Board. — Breakwater extension, £58,000; wharf extension, £30,000; reclamation and breastwork, £64,000; offices, £o000; total, £157,000. The Beard then went into Committee to consider the subject, the proceedings being open to the Press. Mr Hayes moved, and it was carried unanimously—“ That in order to render profitable and reproductive the works now constructed by the Board, and have them constructed in a manner proportionate to the requirements of the district, the Board fully considers it necessary to float another loan.” Mr John Talbot moved—“ That steps be taken under the Timaru Harbor Loan Act of 1885 to obtain the authority of the ratepayers to the borrowing of a further Bum of £IOO.OOO for carrying on the necessary extension of the harbor works.” After remarking that he did not think a single member of the Board wished to spend a sixpence on an unnecessary work, he said he held it would be very false economy, nay, culpable neglect, to stop the works at their present stage. So far as he could see, after giving the subject much thought, the Board were justified in borrowing a sum of £IOO,OOO. The question of dredging and a most important one was one of the first they would have to attend to. For this at least a sum of £25,000 would be required. Some £IO,OOO was required for jetty extension ; about £BOOO or £IO,OOO for reclamation purposes and a further sum for the extension of the mole, say 500 or 600 feet. The principal object aimed at when the last loan was floated was to provide shelter. This had to a large extent been done, and their object now should be to deepen the harbor and provide sufficient accommodation for any class of vessel that might come —to allow ships of 2000 tons and over, for instance, to load with ease and safety. Referring to a remark that graingrowing had of late years not been successful, and that, therefore, it was likely the trade in grain would collapse, Mr Talbot said such a thing was a great mistake. He considered there were at least 500,000 acres of good agricultural land in the district, and in the ordinary course of farming this must be cropped. The fact was, the land had only been withdrawn from cultivation for a time, and there was no knowing at what moment the most part of this land would be again put under cultivation, 3ay 100,000 acres were sown down ; this would give two million bushels for export, and to provide for this being expeditiously shipped we must improve our harbor ; they must look to the future. The district was valued at six and a-ba!f millions, and allowing that the land (500,000 acres) was valued at £8 per acre under the property Assessment Act, that at a rate would give something over £4OOO per annum. They must also bear in mind that every £IOO,OOO borrowed added to the value of land, Should they have to go to the ratepayers for the interest on the second loan the rate would be found so small that no one, he felt convinced, would lake exception to it. For instance a farmer bolding 500 acres would be rated at less than 2d per acre, or £4 per annum. Mr Jonas seconded the motion. Going back to 1882 he found that the gross revenue for that year was £4963 16s Id. To show how the facilities for shipping had increased in one year, he would tell them that for 1883 the gross revenue had run up to £6362 14s 2d. The net revenue for that year was £2OOI 13s sd, or an increase on the net revenue of 1882 of 17§ per cent. In 1884 the net revenue was still swelling, the figures being £2394 19s, or an increase over that of the previous year c£ 19$ pec cent. This brought them to the present year, and prospects were so good that calculating on the revenue so far it was estimated the gross revenue would be fully £7OOO, and the net revenue £3500, or an increase on the net revenue of 1884 of 46$ per «ent.

Mr Elworthy agreed that the last £IOO,OOO loan had been well spent, but the harbor works at present allowed a man to send away his meat, or wool, or grain with the greatest possible facility, and this ought to suffice for the time being. He was glad to see Mr Talbot and the other speakers entertained such a hopeful view of the future, fle did not entertain that view. He contended the district did not want another £IOO,OOO. He feared the statistics quoted would not “ hold waterthe Board had not yet felt the hard times, and therefore the statistics were compiled previous to the effect being felt. He advocated the borrowing of £50,000 and they could borrow the other £50,000 afterwards. Mr Gray supported the motion and asked, if they had not taken a prospective view of trade would they ever have put a block down 1 He for one thought it was clearly necessary to borrow this money and spend it in improving our shipping facilities. The production of the district was now great and likely to be still greater. He would remind them that when last they went to the ratepayers about a loan many had said “ Why don t you go in for £200,0001” He was sure the ratepayers would give a unanimous assent to the Board’s proposal. He did not believe in people who were overcautious. They were to be found in every public body ; lie had no sympathy with them, and if they did not go along in the march of civilisation they must drag behind in the mire.

Mr Wilson was against borrowing £IOO,OOO, ab he thought they were going rather too fast. He quite admitted that during the last two years the tonnage visiting the port bad increased, but during the next two years it was quite probable that it would decrease. Grain shipments had of late much decreased, and at present there wan no prospect of

things brightening in this respect. He agreed, however, that it was necessaiy to do some dredging, and to enable this to be done, lie would support the borrowing of £50,000. Lr Acton said he certainly was no I in favor of borrowing £IOO,OOO. He had not the slightest doubt that individually, collectively, politically and socially, they were too fond of borrowing. After staling that he could not understand Mr Jonas’ figures, ho moved as an amendment —“That section 2 of the Chairmans statement be adinended by inserting £50.000 in place of £IOO,OOO, to be thus expended : —2OO ft. of Breakwater, £22,000 ; 200 ft. of Moody Wharf, £5000; dredging, £21,000 ; contingencies, £2000; total, £50,000.” Mr Hayes supported the motion, but regretted there was a division on the matter. He entirely disagreed with Mr Acton about the way of borrowing the money, and thought they had sufficient control over themselves not to deliberately fritter away 50,000. They should borrow the £IOO,OOO, and when they had spent half of it, and found they required more, they would have ample funds in hand to keep the works going. M.i Kelland quite agreed with Mr Hayes and said that it would be simply ridiculous to suspend operations at their present stage. The works must go on, and to execute them well the Board were justified in raising the £IOO,OOO. In his district the general impression was that the Board should borrow the sum they were empowered to borrow, not less. The amendment was then put and lost, and the motion was carried.

The Chairm/m’s report was then adopted, and the Board rose.