TRADE AT PORT OF LYTTELTON

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27213, 3 December 1953, Page 7

TRADE AT PORT OF LYTTELTON

fall in imports THIS YEAR COASTAL TRADE RISES BY 20,000 TONS belief that the steady increase in shown in post-war years would continue was expressed by the retiring PnTrT.l °t « e Harbour rpnwt J- Halligan) in his annual report yesterday. T he p J eviou s year had been one of unprecedented prosperity brought about principally by a substantial increase in the volume of imports because of the backlog of cargo awaiting shipment during the 1951 wateriront strike and the removal of imp°r* control restrictions on goods from tne sterling area. t 953 the total cargo handled at t was tons, a decrease oi 142.310 tons on the previous year. That, Mr Halligan stated, was accounted for mainly by the falling off of ?Q« nnn aS 6 imports - Coastal trade at Z? ««« tons showed an increase of 20.000 tons on 1952. Arrivals in 1£53 totalled 1072, compared with 943 in 1952, and the vessels represented a net register of 2.164,362 tons, a decrease of 118,157 tons. | . Mr Halligan said the revenue position was well maintained, and capital works amounting to £13,500 were financed from that source. Of that sum the amenities building for board employees accounted for £7OOO. At the end of the year cash and investments at par totalled £443.304, and the harbour fund was in credit by £48.498. The board’s public debt at the end of the year was £207,548 12s 7d. Mr Halligan reported. Details were:— £73,500 waterfront assembly building loan (£55,000 raised, less £3951 7s 5d repayments), £6500 waterfront assembly building additional loan, and £200,000 No. 7 wharf and breastworks loan (£lOO.OOO first instalment, £50,000 second instalment).