DOCK CHARGES

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 230, 24 June 1932, Page 12

DOCK CHARGES

Revision at Wellington EFFECT OF PRESSURE Comparison With Other Ports Charges for docking in the new Jubilee Floating Dock were adopted a Wednesday evening’s meeting of the Wellington Harbour Board. The adoption was made on the recommendation of a committee set up to review the question. Charges, including pumping and rent for the first day, are as follow‘ Per ton gross. Up to 5000 tons ' 63 For every ton over 5000 tons, and up to 7500 tons 5d For every ton over 7500 tons .. 4d Daily rent up to 14 days, per day 2d A member of the board at the meeting informed a “Dominion” representative that these charges were “slightly more In the interests of the shipping companies than was originally intended.” It can be said that the scale of charges for docking only are considerably more favourable to the shipping companies than those at first scheduled, and that, even now, they are considerably higher for short periods, especially for vessels of 5000 tons gross register or less, than at Auckland, Lyttelton or Port Chalmers. It is no secret that the question of charges for the use of the floating dock has been the subject of much discussion between some of the shipping companies and the harbour board, and that the matter came to a head in connection with the docking of the Huntingdon and Makura and the Otokia. Huntingdon and Makura. When the Huntingdon arrived at Wellington a little over a fortnight ago in ballast from England, it was found that damage sustained in heavy weather was such that it was necessary to dock the ship for repairs before she could start loading. On the basis of the charges for the use of the Wellington dock then scheduled it was found that a very considerable saving could be made by sending the vessel either to Auckland or Port Chalmers for docking—even allowing for the extra oil-fuel that would have been burned in steaming coastwise. Negotiations resulted in the harbour board agreeing to a reduction in its docking charges with the satisfactory result that the Huntingdon was docked at Wellington for about a week, with the consequent expenditure locally of a fairly considerable sum for repairs and the employment of a fair amount of labour. In the case of the Makura, which has been laid up at Wellington ‘for nearly two months, some tens of thousands of pounds have been expended locally by the Union Company in carrying out extensive repairs, necessitating the employment of a considerable amount of labour. As the Makura is to resume her running from Auckland it would have suited the Union Company to dock the ship there instead of at Wellington, and it would have been very much cheaper to have done so on the scale of charges first framed by the Wellington Harbour Board. However, in view of the reductions in charges made by the board, the company decided to dock the ship here and complete the work of' survey and repairs locally, greatly to the benefit of Wellington. Much the same considerations apply in the case of the Union Company’s oil-tanker Otokia, which is to be docked here to-day to complete her extensive survey and refit. Comparisons with Other Ports. It is a somewhat intricate matter to make exact comparisons of the charges for docking at the four main ports of the Dominion, but it can be stated that the cost of docking either the Wahine or the Maori at Wellington is practically double that at Lyttelton, even under the Harbour Board’s revised scale of charges. For example, the Wahine, 4436 tons gross register and 1798 tons net register, if docked at Wellington for 24 hours or less would cost for pumping and rent of dock alone £lll, as against £65 at Lyttelton (where this charge would cover any period up to four days), £5O at Auckland, and £7B at Port Chalmers (for up to four days). At Wellington and Lyttelton the charged is based on the gross tonnage and at Auckland and Port Chalmers on the net tonnage. Under the Wellington Harbour Board’s original schedule a steamer of 10,852 tons gross register and 4925 tons net would have cost for a period of 24 hours or less £271 at Wellington, £92 at Auckland, and £lOO at Port Chalmers. For a period of more than 24 hours, but not exceeding four days, the charges for 'this ship would have been: Wellington, £813: Auckland, £266; Port Chalmers, £lOO. The reduction in tonnage charges for the first day and in the - daily rent subsequently at Wellington represent’ a substantial saving to shipping companies, but the charges are still much heavier than elsewhere in the Dominion.

It is stated by one shipping company that the charges for appliances used in connection with docking operations at Wellington are also much higher than at Auckland, Lyttelton, or. Port Chalmers; and that the terms of agreement for docking here are in several respects far more onerous and exacting than at those ports. There can be little doubt that had the board not consented to reduce its charges, the Jubilee Floating Dock would have remained idle while Wellington would have been treated to the humiliating experience of seeing the big ships Huntingdon, Makura, and Otokia go away to Auckland in succession for docking, with the consequent loss to this port , and city of much expenditure, especially on labour.