LARGE AND SMALL PORTS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 30, 4 August 1926, Page 16

LARGE AND SMALL PORTS

FLAT RATE CHARGES

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. TO

INQUIRE.

The Wellington Chamber o£ Commerce, through its Highways and Transport Committee, proposes to inquire into the rights or wrongs of the present system of flat rate port charges. The matter was raised by Mr. G. Mitchell, who has long advocated a change of system to concentrate overseas shipping at the main ports. He mentioned instances of costly delays which had resulted through overseas vessels calling at small and roadstead ports to pick up cargo. At such ports facilities for economic working of cargo were absent and the result was loss, of ■ time and heavy ■ overhead charges upon the shipping companies -and often serious delay to shippers and importers in subsequent ports of cajl. Since a flat rate was fixed and the smaller ports could not offer the same facilities the position was that the main ports were.being penalised. , It was a great pity, said Mr. C. M. Bowden, that the Local Government Loans Bill was not brought down eight or ten years ago, for had that been done five to ten millions spent on the smaller ports would have been saved...''

■ A member interjected, tha seemingly it was too late to do any thin; in the matter of port charges, since the smaller ports were there and they would be used.

Not so, replied Mr. Mitchell. There was now a total amount of something like a million and a half of unexpended loan moneys for smaller ports of the Dominion.

The contracts with the shipping companies, continued Mr. Bowden, were fixed between the companies and the Meat and Dairy Producers' Control Boards, and ports of discharge were altogether subordinate:! to the interests of Home loading. Auckland had a^-marked advantage ovtt Wellington, remarked Mr. 8. A. Longuel, in that practically the whole of the produce of the province went through tlie one port.

After further discussion, .and mention. of several cases in which Auckland merchants had been able to bring new goods to th» Wellington market while the vessel Trhich brought them was still somewhere on'the coast with Wellington's new, goods still on board, the chamber, referred the matter to the committee for consideration.