THE BUSY PORT

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 73, 27 March 1930, Page 10

THE BUSY PORT

LAST YEAR'S TRADE

CARGOES OF ALL SORTS

STRIKING! FIGURES

- The. total trade of the Port of Wellington for the year ending 30th September, 1929, showed very little increase j on that of the previous year, but imports from English and foreign, ports again showed a marked increase, says • the annual Teport presented last night to the- "Wellington Harbour Board by ihe General Manager and Chief Engineer, Mr. J. Marehbanks. "Coastal Wi Australian trade has increased slightly, transhipments remaining about the same,'' the report continues. '' Exports to English and foreign ports are a little lower while^the coastal and Australian exports are slightly gerater than last year. There has been a falling off in wool outwards, both in. transhipments and from shore and rail. The total hemp outwards remains about the same. Butter decreased in quantity, •while cheese shows a small increase. Frozen shipments show a large decrease. The total net registered tonnage of vessels arriving was 3,644,487 tons, as compared with 3,543,222 tons last year, which was up till then a record. The increase for the year is 101,26 a tons. The number of vessels arriving was 5045 of an average tonnage of 1196 tons, as compared with 3080 with an average tonnage of 1150 tons." The total tonnage of all cargo landed or shipped was 2,172,406 ' tons, as against 2,171,437 for the previous year, nn increase of 969 tons, so that the total trade of the port which includes inwards, outwards, and transhipment cargo, taken on the manifest tonnage, remained stationary. Inward cargo of nil classes, apart from transhipments, was 1,129,560 tons, as compared 1,104,----707 tons for the year ended 30th September, 1928, an increase of 2.2 per cent. British and foreign cargo landed amounted to 567,271 tons, as against 534,595 tons, an increase of 32,676 tons or 6.1 per cent. Coastal cargo inwards was 468,466 tons as against 440,018 tons, an increase of 28,648 or 6.5 per cent., while Australian cargo landed was 93,623 tons, a decrease of 36,471 tons or 28 per cent. The large falling off in Australian cargo inwards was caused by the drop in the coal imports. Transhipments from British and foreign ports decreased from 80,903 tons to 67,319 tons or by 16.7 per cent. Australian transhipments increased from 10,459 tons to 12,241 tons or by 17 per cent., while the coastal transhipments, which were 219,617 tons, decreased by 0.7 per cent. The total transhipments decreased from 310,979 tons to 297,465 tons or by 4.3 per cent., due to the lesser quantities of bulk oil transhipped from the port. DETAILS OF CAKGO Outward cargo increased from 444,----772 to 447,916 tons, an increase of 3144 tons or 0.7 per cent. The exports to English and foreign ports increased from 148,522 tons to 153,171 tons or 3.1 per cent. Australian exports decreased from 50,492 tons to 48,957 tons, while Coastal cargo rcmaiued about the same, the tonnage being 245,788 tons. The total general cargo imports, exclusive of coal, bulk oil, and timber, from all sources, increased from 530,654 to 627,948 tons or by 15.3 per cent. General cargo transhipments were 136,----583 tons or 31S tons below last yean General cargo exports were 225,243 tons, as compared with 227,557 tons, a decrease of 2614 tons or l.l.per cent. The decrease is mainly to English and foreign ports, the coastal and Australian exports being slightly increased. Timber inwards was 32,008,990 super, feet, as against 27,628,113 super, feet, ail increase of 4,380,877 super, feet or 15.8 per cent. Timber outwards increased by 371,598 super, feet. The total coal imported and transhipped was 357,432 tons or 10,140 tons less than in the previous year. Coal imports over the wharf paying wharfage decreased from 167,580 tons to 141,999 tons, a drop of 25,581 tons or 15.2 per cent. Government coal exempt from wharfage increased from 79,411 tons to 69,262 tons or by 12.4 per cent., while coal transhipped overside at wharves amounted to 126,171 tons, an increase of 4.6 per . cent.. . The amount of coal landed at Wellington has, during the past years, shown a steady decrease. Portion of this decrease is due to the greater uso of fuel oil. There has been a decrease in the total quantity of wool handled, the total number of bales being 195,526, as compared with 205,139 bales last year, a decrease of 9613 bales or 4.6 per cent. Transhipments dropped from 57,051 bales to 55,084 bales or 3.4 per cent. "Wool from shore and rail decreased from 148,088 bales to 140,442 bales or fiy 5.1 per cent. Hemp and tow shipments remain febout the same, the total being 48,432 tales. Transhipments decreased from 14,022 bales to 8398 bales, while shipments from shore and rail increased from 34,894 bales to 39,934 bales. Butter outwards to British and foreign ports decreased from 16,624 tons to 15,----681 tons, or by 6.2 per cent. Cheese increased from 40,279 tons to 43,554 tons or by 8.1 per cent., while frozen meat decreased largely, the figures being 31,717 tons, as against 37,304 tons last year, a decrease of 14.9 per cent. It is likely, however, that the decrease is temporary and will be overtaken this year, as there has been a large increase in the flocks of the Dominion. DECREASE IN BULK OIL. The tonnage of* oils in bulk pumped ashore was 163,957 tons, as against 218,812 tons last year, the decreaso being 54,855 tons or 25 per cent. Bulk oil outwards shows a slight increase, the tonnage being 125,168 tons, as compared with 121,639 tons, an increase of 2.9 per cent. The bulk oil transhipped decreased from 37,740 tons to 21,324 tons, a drop of 16,416 tons or 43.4 per cent. The decreaso in oil landed is in fuel oil, of which less is now being supplied from Wellington. The light oils landed remain at about tlic. same amount, but outward shipments have decreased. It is unlikely that there "will be any great increase in this class of oil landed here, as tanks arc now established at most of the other ports, comments the report.