Rating Harbour Land Opposed

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31207, 3 November 1966, Page 18

Rating Harbour Land Opposed

If the Rating Amendment Bill was passed as drafted all harbour board land would be rated and this would mean that extra cost would be passed on to the primary producers and other users of the port, Mr L. G. Amos, the chairman, told the Lyttelton Harbour Board yesterday.

The board agreed with him that a letter be sent to all members of Parliament in its district asking them to oppose any move to revoke the exemption of harbour boards from rates; and also to ask the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce to oppose the bill.

“To rate a harbour board that has created its own land by reclamation and built its own wharves seems to be an absurdity, Mr G. Manning said.

Lyttelton borough rated on annual value so it would be very costly to the board, Mr W. P. Glue commented. “The first rule on rates is that you get something in return for the rates you pay,” Mr A. A. Macfarlane said. “We get nothing and we expect nothing from the Lyttelton Borough Council.” Mr F. W. Freeman: Advocate amalgamation. Mr Amos: That has got to come one day, but I am not going to be the one to say it. The Chamber of Commerce wai extremely interested, Mr F. I. Sutton said. Loan Finance.— Harbour boards had had difficulty in the last few months in raising loans, Mr Amos said. The executive of the Harbours Association had set up a com-

niittee to approach the Minister of Finance (Mr Lake) to have restrictions on lending institutions lifted to allow additional finance for local authorities. Record Ton n a g e.—The 1,643,549 tons of cargo handled in the financial year up to September 30 was a record, the secretary-manager (Mr A. J. Sowden) reported. The figure was 148,654 tons more than the previous year's. The previous highest tonnage was 1.537,342 in 1960-61. Harbours Conference.— Messrs Amos, J. Brand, J. E. Mannering and H. E. Denton were appointed delegates to the annual conference of the New Zealand Harbours Association in Blenheim in March. Labour Turnover.—The labour turnover for six months was 11.6 per cent for men and 18.7 per cent for women, Mr J. A. McPhail, the assist-ant-secretary-manager, reported. This was satisfactory as comparative figures for all industries in Christchurch were 45 per cent and 69 per cent, and for the whole of New Zealand in the transport and communications group of industries 28 per cent and 39 per cent.