OTAGO HARBOUR BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 21633, 31 January 1934, Page 12

OTAGO HARBOUR BOARD.

TO THE EDITOU. Sir, —Is there no other pen than mine that has the maritime progress and success ot the province of Otago at heart to congratulate you on your straight and outspoken leading article on the subject in question ? The present world conditions necessitate a readjustment of past policy. The British shipping companies to-day feel the keen outside foreign subsidised competition, and have been amalgamating their strength and requesting their Government to treat them in like manner, and have also appealed to the dominions and other British possessions to assist them in maintaining their prestige and secure for the British Empire greater trade outlets. As we know, psychology guides and moves to-day the minds of all people to buy in the cheapest and sell in the dearest mai'kets, so shipping companies, to meet these conditions, are not allowing their minds to . remain in the dusty pigeon-holes like our Harbour Board members, and are drastically cutting overhead expenses by building very large, up-to-date steamers with Diesel and electric engines, one boat now taking the cargo of three, with a smaller crew than one of the old-stage cargo carriers. That being so, what a hope there is of taking these boats to Dunedin if they have any cargo, and what a chance of making Dunedin the first port of call or last of departure. The board members have from time to time permitted the executive officers to run the outfit, and that being so, why in the future worry about elective members? To-day members should visit the works, study new world conditions; and act accordingly, instead of dispensing with all their workmen and retaining the present large executive staff, further dispensing with a superintending mechanical engineer with the idea of saving money, and then immediately increasing one executive officer by £2OO, another by £IOO, and another _ by so much more. By that means, instead of making any saving, they increase the overhead expenditure without showing results. Would a private concern do it to-day? On the other hand, someof the essential workers are working short time and can hardly meet their superannuation, and’others working all day and night without consideration other than cuts in wages. Yet, the executive staff makes these recommendations to keep their own on full time while others are on part-time. The day for continuing the maintenance of sixteen miles of channel is past, and the further wasting of money in erecting more ' sheds, extending wharves, adding additional cranes, and putting rails on Victoria wharf can only encourage ships to pass on to the Bluff or stop at Lyttelton, where all conditions and reduced dues favour them. The 'wharyps at Port Chalmers were practically given to the board, but it will not spend any more than it can help just to keep them in repair. Yet, look how the revenue from them has helped the board’s finances. Mr Duncan, if serious in his intention, is to bo congratulated on his bold step. If the Bowen pier at Port Chalmers was removed, the basin dredged out at the export pier, and extended towards Deborah Bay. also preferably towards the islands, we should have one of the deepest, safest, and most easily accessible berths for the largest steamer at any state of the tide and in any wind, with rail from Mussel Bay, if a wall was constructed from Kilgour’s Point to the Peninsula, which must eventuate, thereby saving the working of the tunnel. The cranes on Dunedin wharf should be shifted to Port Chalmers to expedite tile discharging and loading operations. With such reorganisation of the present workings of the board, huge overhead expenditure would be saved, and there might be a possible chance of reducing dues, but if the present system is carried on by order of the executive officers, then stagnation, increased dues, and further consideration of a rating area must follow. Let all the sheds in Dunedin for bonds or stores and make them revenueproducing. We are told that in three years the new dredge would make. it possible for steamers of any draught, length, and beam to navigate the Victoria Channel. The new dredge is here at additional cost, while the spending of £IO,OOO to £15,000 on Dredge 222 would have made her very efficient for another twelve to fifteen years, and yet we still have very little improvement, and the shipping companies are not taking any risk with this fine new class of steamer. Why differentiate between cargo and passenger steamers in dues, as cargo is now our only salvation? The Government made this clear in its reply to the board. It is to be trusted the board will do the right tiling and run its own affairs, and not be run any longer by an executive staff when the members of the board are elected for that purpose. I fear nothing will happen, and the same old method of mucking along will be continued until the Government sets up a commission and brings things to a progressive understanding.—l am, etc., Thos. Anueusox. January 30.