NORTHERN SHIPPING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 405, 14 January 1909, Page 9

NORTHERN SHIPPING.

• : —4 ■ THE INCREASES IN AUCKLAND FOB THE YEAR (»i TJSLEGHArn.—SPECIAI. COIinESI'ONDEtiT.i , Auckland, January 13. - The statistics for . the. inward and outward shipping at Auckland for the year 1908 show that the' wonderful progress of the port, which set in several ..years ago, 'is .being more than maintained. : _ During 1908 the gross tonnago of the various vessels which entered the port was 2 991,206, as against a. : gross tonnage of, 2 582,823 in 1907,. an. increase of 408,383 tons. In; these figures, however, warship tonnage is included,. and . when the_ phenomenal increase in favour of 1908 is being considered the visit of the American lueet has to bo taken into account. The gross tonnage of the warships of all nations which visited the port in-1908 was 324,967, including 283,089 for the American l'leet and its. auxiliaries; and during 1907 80,068 tons. Wlien' these totals are deducted it will be found-that the total increase for merchant shipping during the twelve, months just passed was 163,424 tons, over that of 1907. Of this great, increase the greater proportion is made up by deep-sea.' going vessels. During 1908 the merchantmen of this class visiting . the port : aggregated 1,729,572 tons,' and in 1907 1,602,578 tons, a difference in • favour, of 1908 of 126,994 tons. The balance of the increase is made up by coastal shipping, consisting of the vessels of, the Northern: Steamship _ Company,: scows,, cutters, and colliers trading up and down the Auckland,coast. Of this class of vessel the aggregate tonnage of those which berthed at the Auckland wharves during 1908 was 936,667; tons, as against 900,237; tons in 1907, an increase; of 36,430 tons. The increase, in tlio outward shipping has been almost' as marked. The total tonnage of all vessels (including warships), which departed during 1908 was 2,932,154 tons, and during 1&07 .■■2,600,588 tons, ;an increase of .331,566 tons. In this total the.departure of the, American l'leet has also-to. betaken into consideration. . For. deep-sea .merchantmen'.outward'bound'..tlio'gross tonnago for ■19Q3\ was .1,689,834 tons. No comparison here, howevor, can be made with the returns for 1907, the figures quoted ,in tlio annual report'for that year including worships. In coastal vessels the departures during 1908 aggregated 931,553 tons, as against 899,733 tons in 1907, an increase of 31,820. During 1908 the number,of vessels docked at Calliope Dock was the same as in 1907, 'vizi, 21. In, the-, Auckland: Graving . Dock 108 vessels were docked, as against 117 in 1907, a decrease of nina. '