HARBOUR BOARD REVENUE

Evening Star, Issue 21493, 18 August 1933, Page 12

HARBOUR BOARD REVENUE

GRATIFYING POSITION NEED FOR REDUCTION IN DUES Referring to the return of revenue and expenditure which was presented to Inst night’s meeting of tho Harbour Board, Mr R. S. Thompson said it was gratifying to see that the clues on exports were €2,000 ahead ol tho estimate, • that the pdotage and harbour master's fee were £3,200 above, the port charges £1,400 above, and tho berthage at Port Chalmers £1,200 above tho estimate. He thought it was very satisfactory, seeing that the increase was largely due to the increase in overseas export. Mr Loudon: And the 25 per cent. Air Thompson said tho increase would be larger if they could do something to prevent the sending ol _ Otago fat stock to Canterbury for killing. He had been informed that no less than 199.000 fat sheep bad been sent iron) Oir.go to Canterbury freezing norks to be killed, and that tho Railways Department was helping that business by giving a rebate of not less than 20 per cent, in charges. H was a very serious matter for the board and Otago in that the fat stock could have been killed in Otago or Southland, and a great deal of work would have gone to the freezing works of Otago and Southland, work would have been provided for wharf labourers, and the board’s revenue would have benefited. Of course, tho Lyttelton Harbour Board helped by its charge of 5d against the Otago board’s charge of 3s. He hoped that before long a substantial reduction would he given in wharfage dues to encourage the trade in Otago-grown stock over their own wharves.

Mr Loudon said that if members went back over the history of the board they would see a resolution reducing the wharfage on frozen meat by half to Is Cd. The board was told that if that were done all the fat stock in Otago would ■be shipped over the Otago wharves. The result was, however, that they received half the amount. It was for Mr Thompson and his friends in the country to act in the matter. People in the country would sell to .those who offered most, and he was afraid that Canterbury buyers were able to offer more than the Otago buyers. Mr J. B. Waters said the board did not dictate to the producers in the countrv. If a buyer from outside offered more than the Otago buyers they wcie helpless in the matter. At the same time, as regards the general principle of a reduction in dues, he was sure the hoard was quite sympathetic, and as soon as the finances warranted it would consider the matter of a reduction in dues and wharf charges. Mr D.' F. H. Sharpe said bo would like to see the comparison made over a longer period, because at the end of July there was a terrific export of meat, and that might account for the increase. There was a reason for the transfer of stock northwards, but he did not think it wise to state that reason. It was a case of necessity. Mr Loudon: It was nothing to do with the Harbour Board.

Mr Sharpe: No, it had nothing to do with the Harbour .Hoard. Mr Bcgg said the reason was that there was a severe drought in Canterbury, and there were no fat sheep available to the buyers, who had to come to Otago to secure their requirements. There was another reason why more mutton was exported, and that was because a number of freezing works in the north could not kill their stock, and they had to be killed in Otago. Why they had to he killed in Otago was a matter ho did not fee! justified in making public in the meantime. Mr Thompson, in reply, said the hoard's charges were detrimental to the Otago buyer. It placed him in a more difficult'position to buy, as the wharfage charges were greater than at Lyttelton He pointed out that in 1918 a 25 per cent, increase was made by the board. ' That did not benefit the board’s revenue much in that year, but in the following year it did, and the revenue then was £95,000. in 1990 the revenue had increased to £185,000. The revenue had been increased, but no reduction had been made in the dues, and surely, he thought, that increase warranted a reduction. The report was received.