PORT CHARGES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 774, 24 March 1910, Page 8

PORT CHARGES.

jl-'t; ;' ;; - "■ LARGE INCREASES. :'■ -'0 .', |; DISCUSSION BY THE HARBOUR fclr- V-..", BOARD. . ..-.-.' •', ' W- "POSITION MUST BE FACED." '' ;. : .'-.;..- : .'Th'e:.-WeH£ngt<«i Harbour Board yes- [■■'■.; terday took, the important step of :: : ; raising, to a. considerable: extent, its ~- scale of charges on goods and shipping: i-.; 'A : schedule ,of the. proposed .increases ! .: had been drawn up as the: outcome of !:,'-; consultations' between' the chairman k ':■:■ (Mt. R. Fletcher): and- tbb - |-. executive officers, and hid received the' ' .'■;■'. sanction of; the aboard in £-..-; which 'recommended, -the board to ;;■■ adopt it, ; as.a whole..;:'The.increasesare f:'■:'. expeoted 1 .to. -raise, the revenue of: the [; : : board.by £17,640 •-.' : - : : ■'. '■; i:v v The... chairman,, in' "moving 'accord-: |v singly,.at, yes{erday!s meeting, said this; 1...- question" was :.before .'the' hoard some. ! : A-y-' .eighteen months ago, and it ; was then [•'.- agreed. ik> defer. consideration : of the. [-'."' subject, for some time. Then came mat- ».;•':■''. ters .of.' finance, - and it : was necessary to f'■."-. face the.' situation with candour. The X.':- tonnage had decreased and the revenue [..,,, had fallen off. He:did not think' that I ';.'-. any improvement'. in- the 'trade of the 1 :'.:■: port would come until after, the spring ;/■,:.had-airiyei;.lt ; was necessary,to bring !j-'.■; in a new tariff because the board had }'■;■/. obligations to, carry.out. The,.Qiiestioa I-}. : had caused him a great dealof thought, 1,-'.-'-: and-he. had had thei valuable assist-. >:-'■ ancexof 'the 'board's officers,;. Mr. }.-'. .Nioholls,;Mr: Marchbanks, and.thehar-. |i" ■ bourmaster in deciding how the charges i:.:': should fall .upon the different parties t.■■:',: interested."'There had'been very'..Httle ?■';'■; difference' of' opinion . on-.: the ;scheme JV .•'■■ when: it was placed before the; special ;' meeting of the board in committee on '.:,. March; 9..'.."''.'". ■ ' ■ . '. ' ; '. ■:'.'. ;>':':■.- "■:>■:■. : For The ; Future. ■ • r---.. ;:He hoped the board would, in future, :.'/•■', guard -against; foolish expenditure such i'...' as.it ! had.:sanct-idned' in the past.,, TJn-. ;'.: necessary,■'-. costlyj and. ; '.'extravagant ;-/ works vhad been carried - out,- .and a |;: . ' large number of them wero ; unre'muherf.. ative. ' During the next few' years they f : , would have to be verycarefuL ,'Ecpn- :;.'. oiny and ■ efficiency should be. their J:, watchword, with a recognition of the i- :"'great trust reposed in -tiem. He was I ■;■ reluctant: to increase the cost of ship- ;/ :;.ping.' It should be made as ■ low ;as ;-.-■ ipossible in order'to induce: the . ships ■(■■'::: 'lto come here, hut the increases could ;':•..'not be helped, and he.tho'nghi the fact p: jjibat this port offered unequalled, facil■i ■-. '•, j rfciea. for : shipping'. should 'be regarded ;:: fas a set-off to iie raising of He:tariff. V:}- jHad the board met the position squarely |;.; ..-.six months-ago,- and/ faced' it then, ?•'■-. itiiey would be.in- a- much better posi- ]■;-'■■ tion now; He hoped'that'increases-'in' i : the imports and exports would in' the j.'-: ■:. jftttnre;,enable .the board to reduce ':':.''charges again.- .; ..■-■ ~-:-. '.' t\: ! ;/' , yTiie. i Preifuper , s'.'Polnt'o(..-Vlew. ' ' ■ .. Mr. M. Cohen seconded the motion,; t' ■ and said he:ehared _the feelings of l the '; on the' subject.' The chairman ;.: ~ jand his colleagues had;,addressedithenil;.. '|Belves 'to the.•unpleasant' task, before. i '':'_■. - i them ■ with keenness and : acumen,- and p ; no other'solution.: was possible. They. '';■ [had been guided by what was' right;in i. ■ inbt putting charges on' exports.. ', : . ]/;. :,;, Mr.' Harkness:. But, they/ have , done ; '; . :fso—"oiitward wharfage." . . fc .■[. : : : : Mr. Cohen said he alluded to the.fact; r..-.-.-'ithat there were mo increases: on. wool; yj skins, and hemp. .The decrease on imp '. sports was ;a' seripus^.matter,:■;for.'.',' tho ..;:■:■, but'it 'seemed to be impossible- ;.; :to deal withit. He suggested that- a ;.'(commission should be set up iri.conjunc-f>-'tion: with the Chamber of Commerce I " . and others concerned ' with the: collection [;•_'• : of'statistics in, order' to ascertain the r; ' cause/of the decrease. ■■/.-' .-•" : ; ; ' !-;i.-.'_-'Mr;. C W. Jones said that as aire-:' _" ; presentative. of shipowners, he regretted ,: the necessity for th'e increases, but, in i; *; view of the fact that the board could,; - • not otherwise', meet. its liabilities, lie •;,' had felt obliged; to'support such a ! : : :6ch'em'e as was before them. He thought f'r'that some saving might be;, effected in -, fthe working of the board, especially on r ,'the wharves. on theboard: as k>■'■',» representative of merchants and shipL: ; 'owners, he found it difficult to .take :\. hut he ; did not think the.chair- ■■.-..-' man's; schedule of. charges was,seriously i., ..'unfair. *■ ~■. ■■.'- '.'.■-. -.■■:'■, ■■:. [T" " . Charges : on- Woot and Hemp. . ! _ Mr. J. G. Harkness also said that, !, in the charges were necessary, '; 'jand all- the more.so on. account or- tne ;'; ', decrease in imports. : The allocation [of I: the increasesias .between the'dilfereni j , : was fair. In correction.of'a it Temark by Mr.- Cohen, he said, that the i'v . charges on wool, skins,. and hemp :and '(.' tow during certain months of the year :■:■ had been increased.: It .would have been ; ' wise of the board to reduce the .charges j...... on tow, which had been complainediof '..'by Mr. -Cohen. sbme time' ago. ■-■Hβ. ;■ hoped that: an' increase of imports '■;■ would before very long enable the board s to reduce the charges again. There was !••'■ no need for a•-.■ commission to inquire ; the reason of the falling-off of imports. !:- Every business man knew the reason, i., and expeoted.a.change for the better. ';.; :Mr. Cohen'explained-that, he stated !.;'■ , some time ago that .the_'> charges; all •/' round would-have to;be increased,'and: ;'-"■ that the best" he' coiild hope for was ;.■.:-.'■■ that the goods, which had been for so | : .' many -years overcharged, would remain t> .as they were."' "' ' ';"■

Mr. Harkness: But they are increased. .. ' Mr. Cohen: Only to a small extent. J Mr. J. W. M'Ewan said that twelve months ago members of the board said there was a good time coming. The board was, however, no. better off; and- , they_ still said, "There's" a good time coming; boys;_ wait a little longer." ;Th© whole 1 affairs'of-the board required i looking into, and the committee tnat : had been ; appointed that day, would have its work cut out. He supported the motion. , Mr. I.' M. Wilford, M.P., said the , schedule before them might' be described as an equitable equipoise. 'The present was tho proper time to inake the increases, and he did not agree with those .who thought, they should have been put on before. odium was attachable to the chairman or other mem- : .. bers for,carrying out a had long been foreseen. When some of the works now under construction had been completed, there would have to be another readjustment. .•■■'■ .'■'■■ The City's Point of View. .Dr. Newman congratulated the chairman on having the courage to bring down the It ought to have been done before. He, regretted that it had.to be done at all. It did not matter, very much whether .the merchants or the shipping companies paid in the first instance, because it would he passed on. In this way exports like meat and hemp would have to pay, as weE as imports, and the people of this city would have virtually to pay increased taxation. The cause was the . extravagance of the board during many -years past. He had made up a list of works amounting to £425,000 which . he considered unprofitable, and the cost ; of them had to be met. If the chairman [went on during his two years of office I as he had. begun, he would achieve still -.better results; If he went . with the expenditure, "he would be able to cut it down a good deal. A board like that ought to write off a good deal for depreciation, but ho thought this bad been ; grossly overdone. If tho chairman would effect necessary economies, and go into the question of over-deprecia-tion.. Jws would ; be able to avoid a

further instalment of increased charges. He (Dr. Newman) only regretted that the people of this town would-have to pay several thousands of pounds a year as a consequence., of, .thu,,, increased charges. , •■ - ', .•■/. ■. '.;. ' Tho chairman said he did not blame Mr.Wilford but the board as, a whole for not tackling this question before. The best-eight months of the year had gone. ■>

,; .The motion for the'adoption of the new' tariff was carried' unanimously.

In reply to questions, it was stated by the chairman and the secretary that the increases : could; 'not 7 come into operation.at.once, as, advertising and other formalities had : tov bo gone through. The new schedule might be brought into force by May 1, or perhaps not until June 1. * DETAILS OF. NEW TARIFF. The following,is:'the schedule of. increases,;.as. adopted by, the board: — '.'•."'■,'.. Quantities' '■■'■ : Esti-. : ■; for , ' mated ■ • year ' . nroended . Pre- Sub- duct Particulars of .. Sept. 30. sent eeeted of ■'. charge. ..; , 1309. rates. ..inc. inc. : ■;. . . :',"■■■': Per. Per Inwardwharfage Tons. ton. -ton. ■ ■on general ■■■..-.*-— ,8.d.-■• e.d. £ .cargo. ~..:, 274.207,; ( 2 6 \0.,2 -:2«0 lixward -wharf age .:";'''■/."..' ' '. on coal, tran-'; ■"■'' •■"•:-.-■'• . '-. ■. shipped ■■'. oveft ■■■:-•■■" -V.''":'"-. % ' ' Bide: 1 ' ' ; " " ;'■"'■ ■■••';•.■-_■. / ■-■ : ■

... (1) at wharves" 224,721 ;'free- ;: 0 4 3745 (2)' in stream , 30.528'"free ;';0 2 254 Outward wharf- • ■-.■-■' : age on general ■■■■■•.. ■' .'goods.-:- :.. 102.658 1-.0 0 4 1711 Outward wharf- " .<'.-. age on general goods 47.489/ ; 0 6 0 2.: 395 Transhipment, •. . ■ -..■■"■. wharfage on hops, . '.' .-.--.. . flour, grain, salt, ■•..':.■ ■-.■•,.:-. -etc. I-,..../.,,;.'...*.-,- -.8.000-.: 2-.-eu.-0. 6 ■ 200 Shifting' , -trail-"f: '•■^'■■\\> u - ,!;"■" ' . :, shipment cargo ' "•'" , ". : ;■'-'■ .''.-' -.'-.■ ' beyond quarter-, ' ■•■'.' : ' ' " mile: .•-.'!;' ■■ , -Over •i . and .! ;'' '' .'. •.. under half- ' - - - , ■...-.. mile : *20,000'.:' free 06 600 'i Half-mile and ' ' ' '. " . . :. -over.' \........ *10,000 free 10; 500

Earbonr improve- ■ ''•'. ment.rate: ■'.- . ' On, . present : v items : ..:... £7,258 j< 0 2 3629 On coal landed Tons.-\ ■ at wharves '144,397 : free 1 602 : On coal tran- . ' . _. ■!' shipped oversido -ati"- ■- ■ ; ■ • ■ ' .wharves ...22,4,721; free 0..1. 936 Harbourmaster's ' ~- . feee- ......;..... £5.695 -;0 OJ 0 01 1898 Labonr,.. : receiv- '■'-. ' . • : ing Govern- Tone. .-.'>■ : ment careq ...'.. .18.864 -1 S-.. 0 « ...468 Berthage. rate ' . ..,■■' (By-law No. 50) 352 -"Estimated;. ; :.: The official e'stimate of'the. approximate incidence of the' increases shows that the. increases .in inward wharfage on general cargo and coal, outward wharfage; on' general goods,,.tranship-, ment wharfage on hops, flour, grain, salt, etc.,.and,labour,receiving Government cargo are-expected' to fall upon the merchants,' besides £150 of the increase on shifting : transhipment, cargo; whilst the increases of .the-'.har-bour improvement rate, berthage rate, and.harbourmaster's fees, and £750:0f the ! increase ; : on shifting transhipment cargo are expected to fall, onthe- ships.' Totils: Merchants, • d 59473. J .Ships,' £8167." ■ v-:-■■•."-'. ■ ,' : ; Grand totai;:;l'£l7,64o.; ~- . . The, alteration- of the'berthage rate takes the .fornr of imposing .a minimum charge,"on vessels under 100 tons net ..register, of 2s.- per day, or part-of-a day; over 100 tons net register, Jd. per ton per day or p'art ; ,6f, a , day; and : deleting' part -of By-law 50 • relating to ; half rate ; for repairing, etc. '•' 'In addition to the above (and not included in' the' estimate ,of' ; results)' an additipnar,6d.. per-bale-,:per .week: is-to be-liinposed:upon-.storage-of wool, .skins, ,hemp,;,and-.. tew,!•' during .;,the months-' of- , " Deceittber, ":Ja'n"uafy5 i " v and February. '■;;.. :. ; , ';■• ; .;." ! "-, ■