AUCKLAND HARBOUR BOARD.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 91, 10 January 1908, Page 9

AUCKLAND HARBOUR BOARD.

. ■■ *■••• * (DT TEKOBAPH—SfrECUIi COBBESTONDENT.)' Auckland,, January,-8, ~,'. •In bringing; up. tho report^(is to.'tho.rfiuan-, ccs of the" . Auckland Harbour . Boards at its,,' moeting' yesterday,- tho secretary and-treas-. urcr (Mr. J. M. Brighani)'."?tated. ~th.at;..tbo; income of, tho Board foK .tho,-year - , 19071., which' had just;-been- madqaij), tho total net revenue, cxcjusivd.'of "refunds, and interest, was. £92,!)g§, , r .aa.c again?);: £82,357 for 1906, thus showing' an- increase, for lust, year of -£10)629.' The. detailsVof the', .increase woro .showf,' in a ment attached to the report. .' The largest, advance was, in/.the revenue.,•frora' ; wharfage, charges on imports. (£39,407), -this-having risen last year as compared,the!.'prcv vious year (£34,955) by £4452, The, , OaU, liopo - Dock, dues ambunteil,;-!lagt.. '-year. s to £3013, as against £1024 in'*i9o'6,^thus. kh'oMv. ing an increase of £lW.\,j|^ ( rove9Uo.froh£' the storage'of goods increased,from o £2s4o fl •to £4263.' Amongst tho jsniall" :iiicreases_,; rents rose by £724, export.wliarfage'cliaigcs. by £296, snips' wharfage';,by,; £4.60,' port charges by •••.'•£554, Harbourmasters'; fees' by.' £235, pilotage" "fees' "by' £690. The only decreases ..last—year., werb Auckland Dock dues, which..ivoja,£2.s3 less;, cab tolls, which fell by £16f-arid-the-water-revenuo, which was £325 less. -The—report also contained a comparative •. statement. ,«£ the revenuo of the Board for the v past thirty,five years. The.figures contained ;in-this statement illustrate m a very.forcible;manuer tho wonderful growth of the .port ..during that poriod and particularly during tho .past; decade. Tho revenue: of tho , ; Board : in 1572 was £12,498, and in 1877 it-was £15)415,in 1887 it had advanced to £29,675;.-in-.'1897. it was £42,326, whilst last year it w,as £02,986. Tho revonue of 1907-..as compared with tlmt of 1872 thus shows-an increase of £80,488, whilst- by comparison';.with,,lß97. it shows an increase of over. 1.00 per cent. Tho Acting-Chairman (Mr, IV- J.-. Baslcy),: •remarked that the roport showed that,tlio. finances of tho Board woro iii,-.a very siitiefactory condition. On his motion .tho; roport was adopted. Commenting-, editorially upon this report, the " Herald'b.says;— ie; near futuro tho energies au(l *rosourccs 1 of: the Board will bo engaged upou. the comprchensivo harbour spheine now .in.; hand, but wo may hope that when tho -pressuro -of this rolaxcs the Board will turn its. attention to. a canal scheme. A waterway _to the Manuka u is necessary if Auckland is to ke6b tho West Coast trade; which is bound to develop cnormouslv, and tho Auckland Harbour Board is tho body most fittod- by interest .and sphoro to undcrtako such a work: It.: can thon easily raiso tho necessary: capital, for a canal is as necessary a part of its complete equipment as wharves and warehouses. '