HARBOUE FEES

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 46, 23 February 1934, Page 5

HARBOUE FEES

AUCKLAND'S SCALE ißy Telegraph—l'vpss'Association.) AUCKLAND, February' 22. In the course of a statement concerning the recent decision; of the Auckland Harbour Board to reduce pilotage dues charged ships entering the port, representatives of certain leading shipping companies say it has generally been agreed that the dues charged at Auckland have been on the high side. As a helpful suggestion, representatives of the companies asked that if there were to be brought into force any remission of pilotage dues these should be made general and distributed equitably over all shipping entering the port. In the end it appeared that the board had been stampeded into bringing about a reduction that was to a large extent onesided, favouring certain types of shipping and giving no benefit to others. It may be pointed out that of 297 ships that paid pilotage dues last year, 103 were under tho minimum limit of 4800-tons and would not benefit by the reductions. On the' other hand, such lines as the Matson Line reap the highest benefit, as, although:, their ships come into Auckland ,as many as 13 times a year, on >nly six .visits will they bo charged pilotage dues under the new arrangement. This means that they will enter the port seven times with complete freedom from dues, the total benefit per annum being £4800. '. Looked at from another point .of view, this means, on last year's figures; the statement concludes, that whereas a million and a half net tonnage of shipping, most of which is British, .will get the advantage of a rebate amount: ing to 1.4 d a ton, a quarter of..a miU lion net tons of foreign shipping;will benefit by as much as 4.0 da; ton, Thd total pilotage fees paid by the.Matson Line last year amounted to £5730. The board received ,£3.2,000 in pilotage fees from all the companies, numbering 14, whose vessels visited the port. '