BUSIER PORT

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 153, 25 March 1937, Page 8

BUSIER PORT

Shipping at Wellington Reviewed HARBOUR BOARD’S YEAR New Wharf May Have To Be Considered .More than 35 per cent, of the total value, £4l/6'2,430, of imports to New Zealand during the year ended September 30, 1936. and 23 per cent, of a Dominion, export total of £56,686.762, passed through the port of Wellington, stated the chairman, Mr. 1). J. McGowan, at the annual meeting of the harbour board yesterday. The financial figures for the year, he said, were satisfactory. Receipts had increased by £81,625 5/10, and expenditure by £65,961 15/1, leaving a credit balance of £18,917/10/6.

The report of the general manager stated that there had been a further increase in tlie total trade of the port compared with last year, especially in the import trade from overseas. Shipping arrivals had also increased with the trade and this year’s shipping total was a new record for the port, almost reaching 4,000,000 net tons. The total trade of the port was 2,012,460 tons, compared with 1,758,459 tons of the previous year, an increase of 254,001 tons, or 14.4 per cent. Imports of all classes totalled £1,094,514 tons, an increase of 177,799 tons, or 19.4 per cent.; British and foreign imports of all classes amounted to 548,685 tons, or an increase of 24.4 per cent.: Australian imports (108,298 tons) increased by 6248 tons, or 6.1 per cent., and coastal imports increased by 64.016 tons, o r 17.1 per cent.

’ Transhipments to British and foreign ports totalled 56,770 tons, a decrease of 1665 tons, or 2.8 per cent.; Australian transhipments totalled 7301 tons, an increase of 22.1 per cent., and coastal transhipments remained about the same.

Outward cargo of all classes totalled 538,874 tons, an increase of 74,578 tons, or 16.1 per cent., as against 464,296 tons last year. Exports to British and foreign ports increased by 24,671 tons, or 14.2 per cent., to 198,482 tons. Australian exports, which amounted to 53,170 tons, increased by 24.8 per cent.; and coastal exports increased from 247,866 tons to 287,222 tons, or by 15.9 per cent.

The importations of timber (17,875,258 super feet) showed an increase of 6,639,163 super feet. Timber exports remained about the same as last year. Coal landed or transhipped (221,221 tons) increased by 13,463 tons, or 6.5 per cent.; coal passing over wharves and paying wharfage amounted to 139.165 tons, an increase of 12,703 tons, or 10 per cent.; Government coal exempt from wharfage, increased by 22.3 per cent., to 54,743 tons. Coal transhipped overside at wharves (27,313 tons) decreased by 25.2 per cent. The tonnage of oils In bulk pumped ashore showed an increase of 55,870 tons, or 29.3 per cent, on last year’s figures of 190,677 tons. Bulk oil outward was 142,683 tons, an increase of 34,086 tons this year. Bulk oils transhipped, mainly in fuel for bunkers, decreased from 32,162 tons to 27,918 tons, or by 13.2 per cent. There was a marked increase of 53.1 per cent, in the quantities of wool and skins shipped this year, the total being 298,865 bales, of which 128,003 bales were pressed; wool transhipped increased by 26,701 bales, or by 39.9 per cent.; and wool from shore and rail increased by 76.963 bales, or by 60 per cent. Hemp and tow shipments had increased from IL--351 bales to 14,292 bales. Of this number 1870 bales wore pressed.

The total number of bales of wool, skins, hemp anti tow, upon which the board received storage during the A’ear ended September 30, 1936, amounted to 139.282 bales, or 44.4 per cent, of the total bales shipped. Butter exports increased from 22,672 tons, to 26.161 tons, or by 15.4 per cent. Cheese decreased from 43,173 tons to 42,434 tons, or by 1.7 per cent.: and frozen meat also decreased by 379 tons, or 0.7 per cent. Increasing Demands on Hoard. The chairman said that authority had been given for tlie erection of a new store adjoining the Aotea Quay breastwork with a 20 per cent, greater stacking capaclt.v than tlie Pipiten AVharf store. During the year tlie Aotea Quay breastwork was found to l>e of much use as a relief berth. AVith the northern trend of shipping and the increasing size of vessels, if was apparent that tlie board, in going on with its construction, had not forestalled b.v much the future requirements. ”ln fact, it seems to me.” added flu' chairman, “that it will not lie loir-' before file board will have Io consider tlie building of a large wharf tn lhe northward of tile Pipitea Wharf. Some of our older wharves can now only lie used for coastal vessels, and the external construction of some of file larger ships make our liydrnullc ermies inadequate for tlieir purpose. The whole aspect of mir trade Is changing and the board is being asked to do more in tlie way of service mid provision of mechanical facilities than over before. “I do not think that there Is any other port south of tlie line Him Ims the mechanical equipment this board has for handling goods, bill (Ids Dikes along with if the obligation to see Hui! this equipment is kept tin to Hie murk as far as conditions will allow.”

Details of (lie equipment liriiilled by tlie board for Hie convenience of merchants were outlined by Hie ohnli’man.