HARBOUR BOARD FINANCE

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 September 1945, Page 4

HARBOUR BOARD FINANCE

“SUBSIDY OR RESIGNATION” CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT A financial.crisis is being faced by the Greymouth Harbour Board, and, should'its efforts to obtain from the Government a reasonable method of financing that body prove unsuccessful, the Board is prepared to resign as a whole. At the Board’s meeting i last evening, it was stated that the I Board could not carry on with its. present method of finance, and a | subsidy from the Government to bring the Board’s annual revenue io about £40,000 was necessary. This' will be sought by the Board's chair- ' man, Mr J. B. Kent, who was authorised to visit Wellington and interview the Treasury, the Member for the District (Mr O’Brien), and others interested in order to obtain a satisfactory solution to the problem. Introducing the subject, Mr Kent pointed out that the Board’s equipment was in a bad way and there was a letter on hand urging that some more modern method of loading coal be employed by the Board, saving unnecessary delay and preventing the proposed export of coal through Lyttelton. There seemed little that the Board could do about it. £25,000 had been granted by the Government, but this was for repairs which were at present being carried out to the dredge. The Board was in a serious position. The port was kept open mainly for the export of coal, yet the Board received little in the way of royalties or wharfage for it. Increasing the wharfages would not improve the Board’s position greatly, and even if the subsidy of £15,000 each year was obtained from the Government it would take some 15 years before the Board could catch up on deferred maintenance. Some drastic step was necesssary, and, perhaps, if the Government did not come to its rescue, it should just place the whole of the works in the Government’s lap and say, “Here it is. Now you work it.” Mr E .W. Heenan: We’ll all go out on strike.” , 1 Agreeing that the Board could do little else, Mr Kent, continuing, said that without a subsidy the Board could no longer carry on with their present arrangements and commitments. It was over 10 years since a subsidy of £15,000 yearly had been suspended. Only the sale of stone from the quarry kept _ quarry work going, but the Board did not rely on this for it was not a trading concern. They had had no increase in wharfages and no unemployment subsidy, though wages had risen and the cost of materials had increased. Equipment, he declared, had been kept'up-to-date by the use of salvaged scrap. The fact that the staff had been kept on was due to the saving of £5OOO yearly through the successful completion of work on the north breakwater in concrete. “We are at the end of our tether,” ho asserted. ‘“Funds of £40,000 per annum are needed, yet we have an income of only £20,000 to £25,000. We cannot keep going that way.” He pointed out that the Board’s most valuable reserves had been taken for State mines and no wharf charges were paid on coal for export lor public purposes. The only royalty came from the Co-op coal production. It was obvious that if the subsidy was not renewed the Board would have to give up the struggle. KEEPING THE PORT OPEN Mr F. Williams said that he presumed that no further effort would be made to carry out work on capital works, such as the half-tide wall. It could do little more at present than to keep the port open. The Engineer, Mr D. S. Kennedy, said that the Board was about ready to commence work on the tide wall. However, in the meantime, he would have men placed on the kerbing and channelling work in the reclaimed streets preparatory to their being handed over to the Borough. Pointing out how low the Board’s stocks were, he said that the stack in the yards was practically nil—nothing but a few sticks.

The Chairman pointed out how the Board had been lucky to have scrap metal handy and had carried out a lot of work with the aid of this. Everything that could possibly be used had been taken from the old tug, while metal from the “Abel Tasman,” the wreck on the north breakwater, had been used. Finally it was decided that the Chairman and the Engineer go to Wellington and see the Treasury and ask for a reasonable method of finance for the Board. If no reps-'mhn method was agreed upon, the Chairman was authorised to inform the Government that the Board wouki resign as a body. The Chairman announced his intention of travelling to Wellington as soon as possible, and stated that ho would call a special meeting on his return. An indication that staff reductions might have to be made was also given during the discussion, and the Engineer pointed out that he’ was providing work for the men at the present time, without involving work of a capital nature, in order to keep them occupied. An inkling of the Board’s feeling on the position was given when, during the meeting, the Harbourmaster, Captain, H. Moar, pointed out that a number of men were due for holidays, and six or sevdn months were due to the men in the signalling branch. “If we go on strike they can have plenty of holidays,” said Mr Heenan. “Yes, they can have one big holiday,” remarked Mr J. J. Devine.

CONDITION OF EQUIPMENT A rather alarming position is disclosed by the report by the Engineer, on wharf cranes and the hydraulic system, and he gave the following details of the plant:—(a) Boilers, two units, aged 16 years.— To be re-tubed next month. at a cost of £5OO. Reducing valve gear giving considerable trouble, (b) Hydraulic engines Nos. 1 and 2, aged 60 and 37 years.—Fair condition, (c) Accumulators, Nos. 1 and 2, aged 37 years.— Rams badly worn, (d) Pumps, aged 40 years.—Require attention, (e) Hydraulic piping, aged 40-60 years. —Beginning to require continuous attention, (f) Nos. 1 and 2 cranes (10 tons), both aged 60 years.—Step castings badly worn. No. 3 crane (10 tons), aged 40 vears.—Almost worn out in trunnion gear. Crane has many breakdowns and requires almost rebuilding. No. 4 crane (12 tons) ,aged 32 years.—Has recently been strengthened and fitted with new roller gear. Condition fair. No. 5 crane (12 tons), aged 20 years.— Rams, etc., good condition; steelwork fair. Capstans, Nos. 1 and 2, very old. —Condition fair; require attention. Capstans Nos. 3,4, 5,6, 7 and B,' aged 36 years.—Require continuous attention. The original value of the above plant was about £34,000. The last heavy renewal cost was £2.500 in 1931/32 to the power house boilers. These are again being re-tubed at a cost of approximately £5OO. No. 4 crane cost about £5OO for the repairs to the legs last year. The annual repair bill from 1931 to 1939' was £ll2O, and from 1940 to date £1,660, a rise of £540 per annum. The cost this year will be close on £2OOO, without allowing for any abnormal repairs. No. 3 crane is used as little as possible now owing to its liability to break down. It must Jae realised that this is a four-

1 crane port for on’e large ship and one small or two small ships. Then 1 only by careful watch is it possible to operate all four cranes as the reserve of power is nil. Another trouble is that none of the cranes is self-propelling or have luffing jibs and they are unable to plumb the ships correctly. Vessels have to be berthed within a few inches of their marks, otherwise the cranes foul the ship’s gear, etc. It is only a matter of time when an accident will occur with the present gear, which for the greater part is past its economic life. The Greymouth Waterside Workers’ Union wrote, drawing the Board's attention to the obsolete methods employed in loading coal at the port, thus causing unnecessary delay to shipping, and requested that the Board instal electric cranes and equipment for the loading of coal. The letter pointed out that an electric crane had been in operation at Westport for some time and had been an unqualified success, and drew attention to the fact that the Lyttelton Harbour Board was putting into effect plans for modern methods of loading coal, and if Greymouth was to retain its present place as a coal port something would have to be done. “Weil, that is the position regarding the cranes, and you know how much money we have to do anything about it,” said the Chairman, after the report and letter had.been read. He said that Mr Kennedy should see about at least one. Mr Clayton: What will it cost? The Engineer said that he had tried to get cable for. ships’ power, but could not. “I think it is fairly well understood by the Board that it is its intention to electrify equipment in the port,” asserted Mr Heenan, who went on to say that the necessary equipment was not available at the present time. “We have no money with which to buy these things,” contended Mr W. E. J. Steer. The Chairman said that things were very difficult; but, as far as the letter from the Watersiders’ Union was concerned, he thought that the Board should reply, stating that it what it could. It was decided to send a reply in that strain.