Good Year For Harbour Board

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31237, 8 December 1966, Page 11

Good Year For Harbour Board

The Lyttelton Harbour Board’s revenue account for the year ended on October 31 showed a “healthy” increase of £236,000, bringing it to £960,980, the chairman (Mr L. G. Amos) said in the annual report yesterday. Increased crane-hire charges and pilotage rates and charges for the hire of mobile plant at Cashin quay had helped.

Expenditure for the year amounted to £649,437, compared with £556,126 for the previous year, he said. The debit balance in the appropriation account at the beginning of the year was £191,349, from which had been deducted excess income over expenditure of £54,019, leaving a balance of £137,329 to be carried forward to the current year.

The tonnage handled at the port for the year was 1,643,549, compared with 1,494,895 in the previous year. “Cargo passing over the

wharves has increased inwards and outwards, both coastal and overseas,” Mr Amos said. The increases amounted to 148,654 tons, and the total tonnage was a record.

Wage Order.—The 2$ per cent general wage order is expected to cost the board £12,500 a year. Hoppers.—The board approved in principle the provision of hoppers for phosphates, the hoppers to be used for both road and rail transport Unclaimed Cargo.—A roll of netting, a carton of salt and 19 bags of white powder are among cargo in the Cashin quay shed abandoned by the shipping companies. If the owners cannot be found, the Lyttelton Harbour Board will sell the goods by auction. The secretary-manager (Mr A. J. Sowden) told the board the goods had probably been overcarried from other ports.