HARBOUR WORKS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 64, 12 September 1924, Page 7

HARBOUR WORKS

SHOULD, BE :SELEi SUPPORTING '

TO AVOID BURDENSOME RATING

.VIEWS OF MARINE: SEOBETARY.

From time to time reference is made to the demands of various, localities.to be provided-, witti harbours,'':'and7"it'.has. been said that ;"over-harbourisation''- i$ one of . thV-rmaladwß''-frqm!'- which.-New■■■ Zealand suffers. The,; subject .is discussed by the Secretary' of Marine "(Mr! G, C. Godfrey). in his annual, report: r Primarily, he points out, a harbouiv work, being one in respect of which the constructing authority*-is: authorised to levy, adequate charges for services: rendered, should be a self-supporting undertaking without recourse to special ratin*on property, particularly so in circuit stances where other suitable and reasonably economical means are available for the transport of the.goods imported into and exported from the district concerned. "Since the -general public-must ' eventually ' pay all costs and' losses .arising out-of any other transport "ways, it is obvious that no advantage can possibly accrue to a district constructing a harbour which cannot, by reason of -cost or lack of outstanding advantage, exist . as a self-supporting undertaking and in ; spite of competition fromotheivtraiisVort' ways;"" ■■•■-.■■■'.-•- •-. •-.,. „ -.... PUBLIC MUST PAY. - ■ ' Our transport ways for goods and passengers are threefold—toy-road, by ■• railway, and by sea' To meet the cost of construction and maintenance of the'first, and the cost of construction, maintenance, and operation of'the'second,: the general public must of necessity . pay, since they are publiclylo'wrie'd-.. utilities,and any loss must be made good by increased charges, or indirect taxation. Internal communication'by. these means :s an essential. Harbours are also essential, in first degree, for export from New Zealand of our'products'' and receipt of goods from overseas. They are equally necessary for dealing with transport between islands, and between places where no other adequate . or; sufficiently , economical means of transport exists. ..But they cease to justify essential category when constructed ,to provide for traffic which can be'adequately provided for otherwise by publicly, owned utilities (road or railway), and at a capital-plus-operating cost which cannot be met by charges on shipping and goods, but which'requires the deficit to "be made good by special ■ over the-dis-trict. Interests particularly, served by -competitive. transport. ways, quite naturally do not concern-themselves with the loss accruing to the community, ..while the community, by .reason'of, apathy for lack" of understanding of. the'net 'result, or lack of opportunity, to-govern the matter, fails'to assert itself; but it has to pay in/any event.- "'-■':1;.:"'/...V-;.\. ~'~ ■ . "In what I have to say.on';this subject I exclude, of course, those harbours which F have termed 'essentiali'"-says Mr. Godfrey. "Apart, from, these,, yet to a certain extent including Bome;of«tliem, •- it is submitted that in many cases costly' and unsatisfactory harbours have: been constructed in places where population has congregated, rather than at places in near vicinity where natural harbour conditions existed; that large; sums of money have been expended. in creating harbours -in competition -with-"existing and economically suitable .transport ways; in piecemeal pottering at.an essential.harbour proposition which could be satisfactorily dealt with only as a comprehensive whole; or in providing accommodation: for overseas ivessels v.wbere charges "on, vessels and'goods cannot pos.sibly be made to cover:the expenditure involved in making trie provisions.' ."In dealing r with harbours'andthe expeisdj-' ture in constructing - -and maintaining them, we -are • merely dealing with - -one of' three''transport ways';''dach 'of wViicl.il if; it. "fails to'financially justify its existence, becomes a charge on the general public. All-capital.indebtedness, iif connection therewith, whether local budy or Government,- combines1 in genera! public indebtedness. -■< To meet-that' indebtedness, direct charges 'oil" users' and* goods are, or should;be, " imposed'.lbtlieir economic limit.'- -Any 'shortage-must still be provided by means -of indirect tsixiition. ..V '.-'.. ;.'.}' ■'"';.-' NEED,FOR INVESTIGATION;' "The. particular object.of tliisTdiscussion of a matter .which I. believe, to boot primary -'importance is -to "urge-that each harbour-work proposed should beV'the subject of close.J-.mvestiga'tion with it view to.ideterminmg; before it: is-author-ised, either by-poll of-ratepayers,-special Act, or the Governor-General in".Council, whether (a) a harbour-work is essential, transport of goods being not -otherwise economically possible; (b)'"it is sound from the navigational'" arid engineering points of view; (c) if other means o£ transport exist, whether the provision of an ; additional means 0f... transport >s justifiable; and (d) whether immediately, or within a reasonable period, the har-bour-work will be of such advantage «s to; be, self-supporting, -without .recourse to Special rating: ••"; ■ - . „ ... ■ ..... - "There- is ! a marked tendency at piesent to indulge in heavy expenditure on harbours of secondary and tertiary importance to- provide "accommodation for' overseas vessels. While this may give direct .benefit' in one direction, -vet in others,: disadvantages' fono>v. _ SueV expenditure generally results in the application of rating-powers^ aud when these become objectionable or burdensome to the district concerned, appeal to the Government for financial assistance. It is unquestionable, that increased freights are demanded by .'overseas .shipping companies to compensate- them for' the expenditure, involved inl.spending' a very considerable period of time picking up cargo at several ports round the coast.. It follows, therefore, that what is guined in one way is lost in others'." 7 ■"''■"