HARBOUR BOARD OF ELECTION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 133, 28 February 1908, Page 4

HARBOUR BOARD OF ELECTION.

■ Sir,-I do not sympathy, preferring; tjid,.support '. :o'f facta elicited .from ...tlio, Harbour BoardJ.js tatistics, for.wmch j.l presunio' Mr. M'liclltfn 'accepts a .J 0111 "' -responsiMlity;tlio ; ;East->jcar. Although .these figures ;oir.b v apparently, distasteful to Mr. M'Lellan, thoy\ wero ciently intelligible to those payer's .of dues,, seized -.with a spirit. of ; fairjiess,,;.f,\vithovifc whoso . help ,; tho ; small /, number of . votes available in ,tho shipping interest t could not Prevailed;at the., recent'. election. ..I- do not think, that it 'can.be suggeste'd'lby anyreasonable . person; that;; to iiso ,Mr.-4f Lollan s own words: "He (Mr.,' Shipping) ,'wants' to, pay nothing;" .• I .onl.v ask .for. a 111010 cqintabie distribution of the, present] charges consistent .'with.': the ' profits " on .thenvarious i services,,but: on tliO'.o'tber.'hahd.vMrA-M'Lel-:. Lan lias stated tWellington; greatest distributing. centre, and' as: ay;free, poi't lor -goods will become moro : so as:time.'goes' on." Presumably at the ship's expense. • .He evidently dpes not'know', anything about stevedoring in ' Wellington when,' lie; quotes t lOd. as the rate.. ;■ Three of / the large- companies do their own work,-and',. I ; assured. by the; varjpus shipping:, cohipanies and>. stevedoring , firms that ls.'.ris'., tlio cur- - rent, ratf?, here, ;^iaiid: ,'T ;'havS ; >a-'-letter'' before •' tte>coMr^fl^piy:if(»rjnet^udfeti<Jn l ofr 4s. 2d/'for.yAuoklaud,; ; i;■}/>: It' • .He; is' again', wrong,/instating.- thafc r ; „Slr.Shipping said that tta'Athenip 'o'n' k;.recent;. trip paid port ' charges ' amouniingVtS-' fSlo,' etc. A reference to-myletter of tho 14th ■will show that:,r;vplacM;;tlus.,;sum against tho particular . services allowed by Mr. M'Lellan.-' It might'be interestingj..t6. kiitfw that : during'; the 12 ,-'dayfe. : in! 'question - the' Atheriic- contributed* no less . thaii'£llso to-' wards the revenue of tlio. Board,' 1 , all s iinder profitable ; headings, l and wluch i no-- 'doubt will at: tlio end 'of .tlie'.'..current'; year., boincluded in -the total of ." Paid- by- Snips," page 51. I do -not propose to': compare the cost of-this'port with a place like, Gisborno;/ but can proyo that. at Lytteltonj, where tho" conditions are .{more- similar,'! the totalVcost to- the'steamer''for.:similar;- , Vork'iWd'iidd:.;h'avo'' been considerably less. ' ' ' , J . ■' 'Mr/M'Lellan' asks : what. : has(ttie°fproslr oi». wool pressing gument. I-' say '' ri'r.'gopdffoiir''these servicos help considerably- in paj> ing depreciation;',, interest;'-- etc., 1 Jat; thaisaniesl ■ 'time' ..Helping. .rlownl ' -A 1 glance at tho statcnicnt yill show' that -the .total' revenue/ rKe'ived- . to ,£102,375j consisting. 1 principal!j : , ;bf": "wharves' and quays,'"; £100,059:; prising;? I '')£942ij; water, £6566; pilotage, 'port .'cliargds;. berth- ■: age,' -haVboiir:.. improvement; Harbour ' MasterV' boatSj.; i \et<.-,\V'£2Bio3P';;-.-rchta, £4278;' board,'rent, ' £1940;;; interest, £1010; weighbridge, :£9o2of*/;' ; ;- : /./;:/>..; /Of, this" total- tlio~ IJniina.' Stcam/Ship:.Com-' ; pany, Shaw Savill arid/: Albion-; .Company, New Zealaud ..Shipping. .Company,, I .Tyscr Compaiiyj' and. New Zealand " -and Company/--: between"'>tb"ouV 'contributed; about: £70,000:' to' £75,000,' ■ Ojving', to--'the i require-. ments of tlio Government demanding a statement.. of .actual. rcccipts;"! aijdj- expenditure, staterifeife^ ; page 51, necessarily, do ; not.. agree,-, but s tlisydiscropanci'es; do. : not niake any'mateHal r for - thopurposo ; of, 'Taking tlieso: 'statements /together,-;anddeducting'. . the ,:-wWi^-.e^hditui«/fi^A?}tif6 > ,r6yenue ■ received,-'- tho; following-: profits ships.. 'aro ■ concerned- 1 : tiro, shown storago,; labour, etc;, £26,479;' pilotage,-, port charges,;-' Harbour ;■^MiVster;^^. ; • : bour: improvement,' I .':■ • .-ferryv : j'; : bo'W ; s,.i : -. r : cte. j' ; £23,759.; pressing, :.£s2lSwater,^'£l9l9;"Allocating tho- profit labour, - "ctc.,. -in ' proportion'"tortile ykfeparate ■ 'amounts:. contributed in ' eqcli .^interest;as : shown ' on.- page' 51, make tlie-proportion:: im- > porters arid oxportcrs, £16,610; sliips,-V£9869,' or a- total profit..from:' tlieso -sbiirces.'afe .follow: ships; £-10,765; fra'porters and exporter's, ' :£16,610. ' Seeing'., that '. intprest" - '^ charges, payment to : sinking and depreciation altogether; caH':for'£s6,7B6,; in -faco' : of 'these "figures': can'it .;be blaimed. that; the - present scale-; 6f, chargedisfairly distributed ? "• I; thinlr not;/ ; mado to• tho I .merclrants ■ in; 183S-rep"rßsents" a . siirii'of. £100,000 to date, whicli never isliouli? have been, giVoii, V' ]Now\is' ;mak« amends'.—l am,'-etc., " - SHIPPING. February 25,. 190B;;. '• v'-