RECORD FIGURES

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 71, 25 March 1937, Page 9

RECORD FIGURES

SHIPS AT THE PORT

REVENUE NOT SUFFICIENT

Largely following -the' facts set out in the general manager's report, : tha. address of the" chairman (Mr. D. J. McGowan) to the annual meeting •of the Wellington Harbour Board yesterday emphasised the substantial increase in imports, and the record shipping arrivals, within 89,199 net register tons of the 4,000,000, mark. Transhipment figures indicated the use of. the port as the main distributing centre of New Zealand. General. imports increased by, over 19 percent ■ Bulk oili pumped, ashore showed an increase of over 29 - per cent. .Though ■< the total, manifest tonnage showed an increase:of 254,000 tons or 14 per cent, over the previous year, the i total trade figures were still' 10 per cent, below the 1930 totals. "On the other hand, the shipping results exceed the 1930 figures by nearly 71,000 net tons, and the actual, total, 3,910,801 tons, constitued a record for the port" said Mr. McGowan. "Members may. be interested to know that the figures for Sydney 'for the same year were 10,479,774 net tonnage ■ arrivals SUBURBAN WHARVES. "It will be of interest' fo note thft volume of the surburban wharf fchip* ping traffic —434 vessels with a net tonnage _of 307,842 tons berthed at the Miramar Wh,arf: 127 vessels with a net tonnage of 125,375 tons berthed at the Burnham..Wharf; ,426 ■ vessels with * net tonnage of 14,943 tons berthed, at; the Petone Wharf;. 19 vessels' with, a net tonnage' of 94,594 tons berthed at the Point Howard oil berth; and .15 vessels'with a nettonnage of 1423 tons berthed at the? Shelly , Bay powder wharf, making a grand total of 721 vessels with a;net tonnage 0f'544,177 net tons; so that -although1 the wharves situated in Lambton Harbour may be regarded as our" main 1 source of traffic, the increasing trade of the . other wharves, three of which handle large vessels from overseas, .contribute to the increasing volume of our shipping trade in no- small way. '

"Although the financial results' are satisfactoryl arid the ' credit balance (£18,917 10s ..6d).,shown is the.best we have had since 1930, when it was £31,208, it cannot be regarded as sufficient, considering the volume of the board's business," continued Mr. MeGowan. " . ' .

"Authority has: also been given for the erection of a new store to be built adjoining the Aotea Quay, breastwork, with a 20 per cent, greater stacking capacity than the Pipitea.iWharf store. During the year the Aqtea Quay breastwork was found'to be of-'much use a» a relief , berth. ./'With the northern trend of shipping and^the, increasing; size of vessels,-it is,apparent that the board, in going on witti its construction,'••has not -forestalled' by much the future requirements. In fact, it seems to nic that it will: not be long before the board will have to consider tha building of a large wharf to the northward of the present Pipitea Wharf. Some of our older wharves can now only be used for coastal vessels, and the external construction :of" some of the larger.ships make pur : hydraulic, cranes inadequate for1 their purpose. "The whole aspect of bur trade -i» changing, and the board is being,asked to .do,more in the way of service and. provision of mechanical facilities than. ever before.- I do not think that there is any other port south of the Line that has the mechanical.equipment this board has for handling goods, but this takes along with it the obligation to see that this equipment is kept up to the mark as far-as conditions will allow."