HARBOUR BOARD REVENUE

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23401, 7 August 1941, Page 3

HARBOUR BOARD REVENUE

“FUTURE IS MOST INDEFINITE ” ‘ ECONOMY MEASURES TO BE CONSIDERED

Faced with a considerable decline in revenue, and with prospects for the future most indefinite, the Lyttelton Harbour Board, at its meeting yesterday, appointed a committee to recommend economy measures. This step was taken at the suggestion of the chairman (Mr H. Holderness), who drew attention to the progressive decline in revenue.

"The ordinary cash receipts of the board for the year ending on September 30, 1939, were £116,693, and for the year ending September 30, 1940, £106,473, a decrease of £10,220,” Mr Holderness said. “As members will have noticed from the treasurer’s monthly reports, the receipts for the first 10 months of the current year amount to £70,861. There is no reason to expect that the receipts for the remaining two months of the year will be proportionately any better. Obviously the present year will close showing a further progressive decline. “In view of the present world situation, particularly in regard to shipping, the future position of the board’s revenue appears most indefinite. Under these circumstances, it appears to me prudent that, the board should carefully examine its position, with a view to effecting economies, if this is possible without, of course, impairing in any way the services which the board provides for dealing with the imports and exports of Canterbury. “I consider that the best method of approach to this matter would be the formation of a small committee of, say, four members. Such committee could collect the necessary information and report to the board with its recommendations, and so place the board in a position to decide-upon a policy to be adopted.” ■ Mr J. K. McAlpine said that it was a vital necessity to go into the board’s finances. The chairman should be congratulated on having come to light with this suggestion at once, and not waited until the end of the year. He considered the time was opportune for a select committee to go thoroughly

into the matter. The chairman’s report was adopted and a committee appointed, consisting of the chairman, the deputy-chairman (Mr J. W. Bowden), Mr R. T. McMillan, and Mr F. E. Sutton. Decline ofc. £21,108 Receipts in July, set out in the report of the secretary and treasurer (Mr P. W. Fryer), were £8445 9s Id, compared with £9710 19s 2d »in July, 1940. a decline of £1265 10s Id. The total receipts for the 10 months of the

financial year were £70,861 4s 9d, compared with £91,969 8s 8d for the same period in the last financial year, a decline of £21,108 3s lid. Cargo statistics for July, compared with those for July, 1940, were as follows:—lmports, from British ports, ml (3610 tons); from foreign ports, 14,009 tons (14.636 tons); from intercolonial ports, 3915 tons (5769 tons); from coastal ports. 19,794 tons (16,410 tons); total. 37,718 .tons (40,425 tons). Exports to British ports. 12,118 tons 6981 tons); to foreign ports. 1709 tons (1081 tons): to intercolonial ports, 1069 tons (819 tons); to coastal ports, 22,129 tons (17.911 tons); total, 37,025 tons (26,792 tons). With transhipments, the total tonnage handled this July was 75,385 tons, compared with- 67,643 tons last ye A r 'small decline in the number and tonnage of ships entering the port in July was shown in figures given in the report of the harbourmaster (Captain James Plowman). Figures for July this year, with those for July of last year in parenthesis, were’ as follows: Coastal, 85 vessels, 80,035 tons (87 vessels, 68,399 tons); intercolonial, two vessels, 3571 tons (nine vessels, 10,947 tons): overseas, seven vessels, 40,751 tons (10 vessels, 56,003 tons). Only one vessel arrived direct from overseas during the month and three departed direct for overseas ports.