A HUTT PORT?

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 81, 3 October 1944, Page 6

A HUTT PORT?

NEW SHIW^ LARGER

TREND TO CENTRALISATION

The experience gained in the centralisation of shipping and cargo handling at the main ports and the substantial savings so made possible during the war years were such that it was unlikely- that shipping companies would wish to return to the working of small ports, said Captain R. E. Price, giving evidence before the Hutt Harbour Commission today. He expressed the opinion also that, postwar ships would be of larger tonnage, entailing heavier outgoings in the construction and maintenance of smaller ports for their accommodation. He described Wellington's present harbour facilities as excellent and capable of handling all cargoes that could be foreseen for 20 years after the war.

Captain Price, who is chairman of the Waterfront Control Commission, said that he did. not represent the Commission but appeared in his- private capacity, of 20 years' experience of the sea, to raise objections to the construction of a new harbour at or near the mouth of the Hutt River. The tendency was towards centralisation of overseas shipping with . feeder transport services.

"I believe that as far as the Hutt Valley is concerned, both secondary production arid population will increase much'more rapidly than in the City of Wellington, but I do not believe that th& increases in resulting trade could within a period of 20 years after the termination of the war sustain a modern port as proposed, owing to the heavy expenditure required, to enable a harbour to be built to : accommodate the increased size of cargo ships that will be trad- j ing to New Zealand within a few years of the termination of hostilities/ said Captain Price. V "I submit," he continued, "that un-I less it can be shown that it-is reasonably possible to operate economically to shipping, there is no justification for the construction of. a - competitive secondary harbour system within 10 miles of the port of Wellington, which is both efficient and economically managed and which has existing facilities for handling a much, greater volume of goods than normally flows through the port, and which has ample room to provide for the construction of additional wharves more quickly and more cheaply than would.be possible at any other point in the harbour, due principally to a favourable natural: depth of water." . : EFFECTS OF CENTRALISATION. Captain Price said that even important secondary ports in New Zealand were in financial-difficulties, mainly through the "centralisation of overseas i shipping brought about-by the war. This had resulfed^in'such say.ings to shipping that.it w3s,itmlikely, with the trend towards increased; size of ship, entailing increased running expenses, that a smaller port wouia provide the advantages necessary to . attract such shipping. .. °- v "It would perhaps be a worth-while; experiment' to make provision fqr^ power lighter and barge feeder per-*: vice from a suitable point on the river to the port of Wellington and see what developments may arise," Captain Price suggested. "Such a service would permit ships to work cargo on both sides and help speed up operations, and also to relieve road and rail transport difficulties. ...

"There is-also good reason to believe that giant cargo transport planes will be in use within a year or two after the war,.and this form of transport could compete for the better lines of cargo, which provide the greatest revenue for port authorities," he added. "If such air services do operate, it will be at the expense of other forms of transport, and will have an adverse effect on all ports, especially the smaller and more isolated ones."

Captain Price said he regretted that he could not, for security reasons, give figures of the extraordinary tonnages handled over the Wellington and Auckland wharves during the pressure of war conditions, or of the savings effected by centralisation of shipping, for they were very illuminating. .

"The Wellington facilities are very excellent. They are amazingly well forward when compared with other ports in the world," said Captain Price, in answer to Mr. J. F. B. Stevenson (for the Wellington Harbour Board). "With the works to be carried out by the board there.should be ample provision for all the reasonable requirements that can be foreseen at present"

Mr. Stevenson remarked that it had been suggested that goods might be carried to Valley industries >by beach barges. : . •

Captain Price said that barges had done wonderful things in war, but he did .hot know whether they would be suitable in serving the Hutt Valley. However, the idea was certainly worth looking Into.

Mr. Stevenson: Would not labour costs at suburban wharves. inevitably be higher than at the main wharves? —You can say 25 per cent, higher. You would get only about six hours' effective working time in an eight-; hour day. ..w

The facilities provided at the city wharves today should be able to handle 70,000 tons of cargo weekly, and that without using the storage space erected by the Americans for their earlier war purposes, said Captain Price, in reply to Mr. Rothwell. He considered that at least three-quarters of a million tons of cargo a year would be required for economic operation of a small modern port, but the cost of operation would be very considerably less for a port catering only for light vessels. He fully recognised that the Hutt Valley was unique in New Zealand in possibilities of future development. ' TONNAGES OF VALLEY GOODS. Further details of tonnages of goods and materials which are handled from ships at Wellington and carried by road and rail to the Hutt Valley were given by the chairman of the Harbour Board, Mr. W. H. Price. The point was raised by the commission because of the discrepancy between the estimate of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce that Valley industries would require imports amounting to approximately 330,000 tons, and the statement from the Wellington Harbour Board that goods and materials handled over the Wellington wharves and carried by rail and road to the Valley were approximately 200,000 tons a year. Mr Price said that a check of figures for the year to September 30, 1939 with consideration also for undertakings which had commenced operation since 1939, gaye1 a total of 216,794 tons: this tonnage included goods handled for Valley undertakings whose head offices were in Wellington city, a point which had been in doubt.

♦v j? S. lr Francis Frazer, Mr. Price said that the figures did not include goods for the Railway Workshops, for as such shipments came in free they did not appear m the board's books Coal figures were not included ir^ r- E^ F- R°thwell, for the Hutt ! Valley Chamber of Commerce, said S! ht/ dd,l tlon. °^ 25,000 tons of metal and other imports for the RailWaLWo^. shops and 40,000 tons of coal to Mr. Price's figure • brought it much closer the 330,000 tons 6 which was ££ ive f d r at h * the Hutt VaUey Chamber of Commerce. -■ (Proceeding.) ;