LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 123, 17 February 1908, Page 9

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

HARBOUR BOARD ELECTION. S' r > In his attempt to refute my statement that- tho shipping companies contribiited more than half tlio' rovenue of the, Harbour Board Mr. M'Lellan has ; again been misleading with his figures. After generously allowing the companies credit for pilotage, port charges, etc., he coolly'places wool pressing .and water under the heading "Other liicomo." In addition to the .amounts of £9197 and , £6938 respectively ;eredited: in tho Board's accounts to "paid :by ships" thero are also items such us transhipment wharfage £i 0,765, use of hydraulic -plant £3202, overtimo labour £4404, shedding- cargo £3025, storago £4807, extra labour £3074, and sundry other items amounting to about £2750,. also correctly described on pago 51 of the'report for last year in tho .total of £76,204 Is. l'ld. "paid by ships',". as/against £71,626 '12s.'0d. "paid bv' importers and oxporters.". A tidy sum from ,tho latter for transhipment wharfage is' :evontually paid by the ships also, but tho totals quoted ,aro /quite sufficient to justify any former', assertion. 'if Mr. M'Lellan had his way tho goods "would not 1! bo taxed at. all; but it appears to mo,that th'ey .should icertaihly-bear'-their. portion of tho burden. 'Although largo/sum's of money; .hard lieen- spent in an. endeavour ; to keep' pace with' the requirements of;the port, the have "onlyibeen ashed to.pay a slightly increased .. storage : rate.;, ■ but,'' on, .tho other hand, 1 since the in'coption of the harbour -improvomentiTato in 1903. tho; ships havo.contributed a 1 sum - of £24;340' 16s.- 4d.' under that'heading,-and £18,384 19si sd. in berthago dues,, .besides increased storage charges/ In; face -of 'tho,.great facilities' claimed to havo .taken. placo', surely tho importer must have derived/, some ' .benefit-, and .should be asked to contribute - towards tho extra cost. ;,To my mind tho -Harbours .Act .clearly makes ■ tho -harbour , improvement . rate- a chargo on goods, and the ships for the last fivo -years have '.been illegally - charged with £24,340 16s. 4d. It is ; apparent that if the 3dw:Por ton' under' this heading had been oharged on, , tho, goods'-'tho. merchant would not, havo .been able, to recover 'such:, an, amount in selling by, tho ton, diundrcdweighfc or-pound.; hence the -influence in;'getting it out of, the ships, which again': for tho same/ reason; cannot iget it out-.of , tho-freight,' and tinder the existing conditions it i 3 merely n question as to whether the shareholders either in-.the' importing business or -, the ship-

piiig company.- pays. At. present tho. latter, ; Harbour Board persists' in .'its , policy,,;of tho. past .few.,years, towards'"tho ■ shipping wo. might possibly , find',Wellington . with -a . differential Yfroight against instead of in favour, as claimed. " , ' ;•■■■: . v."Mr. M'Lcllnn surely cannot lie serious 1 in asking uri tobclipvo his "reference;''.to the. • .**•', to tho best port: Ho ,-is/Mro.jagain astray in regard: to '■ liis stevedoring quotations; I. understand that: thiy. current i: Tato,,fqr.;(lisehargihg .at Wellington ;is ils,and at Auckland ;,ls.\2d;; whicli includos, as ho states;;trucking of tho cargo into: the sh'ods; but tho difference of 2d. per toil is fairly well' compensated- for by- the extra charge of Is. per .'ton'for local goods ■ landed after hours,.which; tho ....ship.,has to . pay in .Welliiigton; , I .think that your correspondent;' Mr. Jones; scored very woll in ' .his.facts,'' -assuming''that statement'-1, page 51, :is to bo aqcepted'as such. Mr. M'Lellan quotes- ono r . end ;> of. the. stick in practically asking the public to accept ail ' illustration; v.but. go on ,W tho othdri. end, ■ and' whatv'do wo .find?. Tho.-Athenic' on a: ■' recent trip;''for. the particular - Services' allowed by Mr. M'Lellan, paid about £215 for twelve days in port: ') In taking tho services ' Mr: I .:M'Lellah gracibusly.-'allows,: I find -profit accruing, from these. is moro ;thari,,sufficierit;to 'pay tho, interest on the whole of . the'-Board's 'loans,' " for. ' .which--622,626 lls. ; 2d v ,was paid- last year.:- Water and wool pressing both show a handsomo profit,' and I havo no doubt that storage, on .iyool," etc-V^f'Obtainable, would. also show a -mrndar .'rcsult.ii-.'All paid by. the/ships' and shipping, companies. / It" is -rather difficult to .•understand Mr.'';M'Loiran's '-qnbtation for handling',. l ,goods; .perhaps, ho .will, .'be'- "good onpngli 'to - qualify'.uf 'with..details".';;, JainV quite prepared' to quote further if your space'will'permit.—l am,- etc.,' ■ „ 4 ' - ' SHIPPING. . Fobruary 14. . ; ; ..; r IRELAND AS SHE'IS AND AS SHE SHOULD BE. ■ 1 Sir,—"lnteglio'.'' in'-his 1 last letter makes some statements' wido' of" facts that I shall point, ' out, with 1 your , permission.' l ■Eirst,' 1 ;!D'ipls., is, convinced .Ireland' is a nation:''.... Nothing... of .the" kind: ' I "stated,sho: nevpr ,]v«s, . Second,,i"The Bull of; Adrian is . nothing but-, a ..forgery,.that , is"■ a.'.VoTy old game;; Anything.not agreeable is. a:forgery.: .Well;'' let us Eeo: The -Bull.appoars in ; Bullaripm'' Romanium'. l ■ 'It '-Kas; been translated by, Dr. Kelly from Vatican' version' in Cambronsi's; Eversisj;; vol.;; 2, 'page" ;410. Dr.„ Lani"Ban; gives it,"as cdrrect' in,,Eccl.''.Hist.," Vol; 4', pago ' 16i.. .. Martin, ' Haverty,- "one -,of, the founders- of- Fenian - Organisation, in 18S7j .says .there, is no reason'to doubt its authenticity. . .This will , give your, readers an- idea of the tray., "Integlio" fights his battle. 110 also writes: "Might is not right by any means. I ', i.This is .rank .heterodoxy,, ;as ■ his patron-saint;-, Johf . Redmond,, 'states' : in speaking.; of- the loyal minority >in Ireland, v'They .must. : bs■ put down: by the ■; strong ' arm." • Poor' "Integlioj" .ho -'has' no ; 'ment, and I have pulverised' his 'assertions one by, one.: However, it is useloss .writing, were it not for',' tho fact that no week, scarcely a day, passes but part of: your ;paper is taken, act of lawless'.ness or - crime 'in' that' ■ distracted-' country. In 'saying ,good-bye> to. the. matter, I nssuro v"lnteglio-- -Home/Rulo will never:'reign in: that'land,' for; as-'t-ho trophy of Marathon' was 'to' 'tho 'Athenians] so is; tho ..'-"wall 'of ' Derry to His Majesty's law-abiding and ' loyal' subjects' in' Ireland.—l" am',! etc., v, W-DICK. .'(This': correspondence v 'is 'now closed.) ..