HARBOUR BOARD TARIFF.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 150, 30 June 1897, Page 2

HARBOUR BOARD TARIFF.

THE AMENDED BY-LAWS

STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN.

SOME INTERESTING FACTS,

THE FINANCIAL POSITION,

Tariff proposals, and bhe question of finance generally formed the subject of an interesting discussion which took place at yesterday afternoon's meeting of the Auckland Harbour Board. A lengthy report was submitted by bhe Committee appointed to revise tbe tariff, and this contained suggestions for certain amendments. Some of the proposals had already been made public, with the result that letters appeared in the Press and others were senb in to the Board One of these was from tbe Kauri Timber Company with reference to the proposal fco abolish the concession of 12* per cenb. wharfage hibberbo allowed upon rough logs. The Company pointed out that th.s had been allowed to make up for the waste entailed in cubbing the logs into sawn timber aad they asked that bhe concession be continued. The Colonial Sugar Company wrote asking that empty sacks in which Bugar had been senb away when returned should nob be charged wharfage. Both these letters were held over until the report of the Committee came up for consuieraVVhen that time arrived, the Chairman, Mr W. J. Napier, said : I would like to make one or two remarks upon the question of the tariff, as I think ib will perhaps clear bhe air a little. There appears to be a good deal of misconception with regard to the proposals of this Gommibbee. Mr E. Bell : I think this Committee has exceeded its powers very much. I ■ ehould like bo see tbe reeolubion under which the Committee was seb up. The Chairman : The motion is bhat the report of tbe Committee be considered by the Board in Committee on Friday evening next, at seven o'clock. Mr M. Niccol: There is no proposal to amend the by-laws, the Committee was only appointed to revise them. The Chairman : The matter seems perfectly clear, tbe by-laws were referred bo the Finance Committee for revision. Mr Niccol : Yes, revision, but not amendment. _ The Chairman: That carrios wibh ib amendmenb. Revision includes alteration. Mr Bell: I think that _b incorrect. Chairman : You can challenge thab ab bhe proper bime. I now ask you bo refer the reporb bo a Commitbee of tbe Board for consideration. Mr Niccol: The by-laws were referred for revision before being reprinted, bub certainly nob to alter the charges levied by the Board. ~_,_, Mr J. T. Julian : It was only intended the Committee should alter one or two by law,s in accordance with resolutions already passed by the Board. Chairman : I will move that we consider the report at a meeting of the Board in committeeMr Niccol: Thab requires nobice of motion, Chairman: No. We have the reperb before us to-day. As it is a long one, I ask you to take it as read. Mr Niccol: I ask bo have ib read. Mr T. Henderson : There is no mention of this matter in the official notice senb oub to members. Chairman : I don't want to atop discussion. When I have proposed the motion every member will have the righb to address the Board upon thab mobion. There is no irregularity, as the Secretary was instructed to forward a copy of thiß reporb to each member of the Board. Mr Niccol: There is no mobion yet before ns. Chairman: Then I will now formally move that bhe reporb of bhe Finance Committee bo referred bo a meeting of bhe Board in Committee bo consider bhe proposed amendments of the by-laws. I now desire to make some remarks in order to remove misconceptions that hare evidently occurred. Mr Niccol: lam sorry again bo have to interrupt you in order to once more state there is no motion properly before the Board. Chairman (calmly) : Will you please resume your seat. Mr Niccol (smilingly): I will when I have done speaking. I say there is no motion properly before the Board because notice has nob been given. Tbe Chairman : You are wrong. The reporb is before us and I am moving whab shall be dons wibh it. I bherefore rule this motion is in order. Mr Niccol: That is nob sufficient to make ib in order. The Chairman : Pardon me. MR NAPIER'S STATEMENT. Mr Napier said a good deal of misconception had occurred logarding bhe objects the Committee bad in view in making this report. Ib was publicly stated that the proposed amendments would kill the Island trade. He wished to point oub bbat accoiding bo statistics the total increase under that heading would only be £24 10s, made up as follows, taking last year as a basis :—Flour, £12 3s 6d ; coal, !£6 3s; bran, £5 17s Gd ; sharps, 7a. That £24 10a would be distributed over all tbe merchants, so it was not a very Berions matter to any one. The only other increase of any special character was the proposed abolition of the allowance of 12_ per cent, on logs, and the wharf charge on kauri gum. As near as be could ascertain the total increase, supposing the reporb was adopted, would bo under £1,000. Mr Niccol: That is wrong. The Chairman said he was baking lasb year's statistics as a basis. As regards kauri gum be bad no estimate of bhe amount passed inwards. A great deal of gum he knew came down by rail. He had taken all his other figures from actual returns. He mighb state ab once thab the objacb was nob to increase taxation, bub bo remove existing anomalies. He contended that flour should pay Is per ton, the same as other produce. Ab present bbc tariff on flour was 6d per ton. THE BOARD'S FINANCIAL POSITION. , Whab they would roquiro wibhin bhe next six months for works already authorised was £7,860, Those were extraordinary works outside of tbe regular cost of maintenance. They must also remember thab bhe interesb charges would be £400 moro, now that they had completely borrowed the £10,000 authorised. lb would also be necessary to borrow another £10,000 unless they intended bo abolish dredging completely. There was necessity now that the outer western teeßhould be dredged. Their income would not be as great this year as ib was lasb year. Their rents, amounting to £10,271, were derived from laud endowments for improvement of the port and could nob be expended on ordinary maintenance. Allowances made by the Board to various people had already cut down the rental to £4,950. That was done for particular interests of certain classes Then they had practically only £5,000 left for actual improvement of tbe port, That had since been whittled down until there was only aboub £1,500 left above ordinary income. They wanted extra shed accommodation, and some required a crane aba cosb of £3,500. Yet if all these concessions were made there was a great outcry ab any increase merely proposed to secure harmony in the tariff. DEVONPORT FERRY COMPANY. Continuing, Mr Napier said : The Committee asked with regard bo the Devonport Ferry Company thab an additional £36 per S^num be charged. Thab was nob much,

seeing thab the Board bad already incurred an expenditure of £500 for the benefit of thab Company. There was also to come before the Board a recommendation to purchase bbc waiting room at a cost of £200, so the total increase of £36 would only be aboub five per cent, interest upon thab expeaditure for the Company. The object of* the Committee was thab bho tariff should be made to press equally upon all the Board's customers. Mr Niccol : I am still asking for the reporb. Chairman : It will take half an hour to read, and you have already had a copy. Mr Niccol-. I have no knowledge of whab the Committee has done. Mr C. Uesketh : 1 second the Chairman's motion.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE QUES-

TION

Mr Niccol contended thab the motion had nob been brought forward in a regular way. If any increase in the tariff was required, it should be brought properly before the Board. This proposal meant taring bhe public to the extent of £2,000 per annum extra. It was proposed to charge export wharfage within the province. They all knew what an amount of cargo went over bhe wharf daily for the Thamea, Whangarei and other places. Ib must bo ab leasb 100 tons a day, and thab alone^ wouldmake an increase in revenue of £1,500 per annum. He did nob think bhere was any necessiby for such an increase. If it was necessary, bhen due notice should be given in bhe ordinary way. This Committee was only required to harmonise the by-laws and not empowered to alter the schedule of charges altogether. He did nob like to havo an important change smuggled in that way. He wub nob arguing whether the proposals were right or wrong, bub merely aboub the way the matter had come before the Board. Mr Bell considered that the Chairman had contradicted himself. First, he said ib was nob done with the intention of increasing baxabion, and bhen went on to point oub that bhe financial position of the Board was Buch that increased income was required. Regarding the reduction of rents, he might say ho always felb ib would be wiser bo accept surrender of the leases rather than modity the rents. He agreed with Mr Niccol that the Committee was never empowered to make such wholesale amendments. He would move as aa amendmenb to the Chairman's motion that a Committee be appointed to consider the financial position of the Board. Mr Henderson considered thab an increase of revenue was absolutely required. He thought a committeo should be set up to consider and reporb a8 to bhe best method of racing further revenue. Mr ri-ichbury said ho could nob understand why this opposition should be raised by one or two members. All the Committeo asked was that the Board should meet and consider these proposals. Mr A. J. Entrican said perhapß he would bo considered an interested member, but he mußt say he thoughb Mr Bell's amendment the proper one for the present time. Before they went into the tariff question they should know their exact financial condition. Their income was nob sufficiently elastic at bhe presenb time, lie was nob satisfied ab the way bbc accounts were lefb. Hepairs to bhe wharves Bhould come out ot current revenue. Their assets in the shape ot wooden wharves should nob be increased, and something should be allowed for depreciation. If their revenue was nob aufficienb then ibshould be made so. As to the proposed amendments he would like to point oub that instead of abolishing the privilege of free export within the province they had better increase bhe tariff upon incoming goods bo that merchants would be able to calculate the cost ab firab and al_o save the double trouble of collecting. He would support Mr Bell's amendment if ib was altered to road " a committee consisting of the whole Board."

Mr Bell: I have no objocbion to bhab. The Chairman said there was practically no difference between the motion and the amendment.

Mr Niccol said he would Bupporb the amendment.

The question was then pub, when Mr Bell's amendmenb was adopted by six to five.

The Chairman : Whab will you do with this reporb ? Mr Niceol said he objecbed bo bhe reporb as ib was nob before the Board in the proper manner. Mr Bell moved thab bhe consideration of the reporb be deferred until bhe next meeting of the Board. This was agreed to. On the motion of Mr Entrican it was resolved that ths Board in Committee meeb at 7 o'clock next Monday to consider the financial posibion of the Board in accordance with the motion just adopted.