OUR BUSY PORTS—RECORD SHIPPING FIGURES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 95, 21 April 1923, Page 17

OUR BUSY PORTS—RECORD SHIPPING FIGURES.

Reporting to the Auckland Harbour Board on the shipping arrivals, departures, etc., for the month of March, 1923, the harbour master stated that the arrivals consisted of one British warship, two Royal mail steamers, 25 "large cargo steamers, 11 intercolonial or Island traders, 28 coastal steamers, two intercolonial sailing vessels, together with 635 local coastal vessels, making a grand total of 704 vessels of 385,890 gross tons, and 232,076

net tons. These figures, it was stated, showed that the shipping in the Auckland Harbour for March was a record for the port. Tho next highest figures were recorded during tho month of January last, when 703 vessels arrived, their gross tonnage being 320,217, and net 197,702. Auckland is the port of registry of the majority of the vessels forming New Zealand's "mosquito" fleet, and to a great extent this accounts for the great lead which it shows in the returns of registered

vessels over other ports in the Dominion. Auckland has no less than 225 steam vessels registered here, with a gross tonnage of 23,355, and 10S sailing vessels, of 8119 gross tons, while the figures for the whole Dominion give a total of 562 vessels, of 147,832 gross tons. To give an indication of the activity of trade it may be mentioned that last year the exports from the two chief ports of the Dominion, Auckland and Wellington, were valued at £21,300,000.

(1) A busy corner of the Auckland wharves. (2) Loading frozen mutton for the English markets. (3) Shipping hemp in Wellington. (4) Cheese and tallow being loaded at Auckland.