WELLINGTON HARBOUR BOARD.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14918, 17 March 1914, Page 10

WELLINGTON HARBOUR BOARD.

REVIEW OF THE YEAR

(press association* TELEGRAM.) WELLINGTON, March 16. Referring to the strike in his report at the annual meeting of the Harbour Board to-day, the Chairman (Mr RFletcher) said tho trouble, in his opinion, was caused by obstinacy on the one part and stupidity on the other, and the results were disastrous to all. concerned, as strikes generally were. Though his was a difficult and trying position, it was his endeavour to hold the scale of justice evenly, and looking back he had inward consciousness and satisfaction in feeling that ho had done his duty as a public representative. The Board's profit and loss statement showed a credit balance of £13,571 odd, as against £10,814 odd, an increase of £2756 oitd. The financial position was eminently satisfactory. An increase of earnings "from £216,025 to £237,293 was shown, being an advance of £21,268. Goods inwards totalled 535,040 tons, as against 489.416 tons, an increase of 9.31 per cent., a record for the port. Total shipments of wool, skins, etc.. including transhipments, amounted to 301,050 bales, as against 251,861, an increase of 19.5 per cent. Coal handled in port totalled 548,862 tons, as against 502,499, an increase of 9.22 per cent. The Chairman referred to the heavy expenditure entailed on Harbour Boards by the new system of election, resulting in an increase iv the cost of elections from £85 and £1.50 in previous years to £1013 last year. A supplementary report for the five months ended February 2Sth, the period affected by the strike, presented by the chairman,* showed the net tonnage of arrivals to have been 1,190,087, as against 1,329.169 for the corresponding period last year, a decrease of 134,082 tons. Bookings on the wharves and quays for the same periods were £75,582 and" £91.257 resDective.y.,- a decrease of £15,674 odd. Pilotage fees and port charges shrank from £8307 to £7905, a decrease of £399. The Board's financial year closed on September 30th, the above figures being supplementary to that.