Napier Harbour Costs

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 96, 6 April 1934, Page 6

Napier Harbour Costs

To the Editor, Sir:—ln a letter to the “Tribune” some time ago on the harbour question I showed that wharfage charges alone paid on produce shipped through Napier exceeded by £lO,OOO the sum paid for a similar quantity shipped through Wellington. This amount is borne by the district and is ultimately a burden on the producers. Any increase in the harbour charges at Napier means an additional burden for the producers, and furthermore the point would soon be reached where it would be cheaper to ship through Wellington than through Napier. Hawke’s Bay is a producing district and therefore it is on the producers that the harbour charges on 200,000 tons of inward and outward cargo chiefly fall; then what will be the extra burden if the £75,000 is borrowed as well as the £71,000 already being raised without the sanction of the ratepayers. The chairman of the board says there will be an increase of only ]/- per ton which can bring in only £lO,OOO. The interest on £375,000 at 5 per cent will be approximately £23,000 which will mean that a further 2/- per ton at least will have to be raised to be paid by the producers directly or indirectly. Producers do not be misled. You pay, pay and pay and what consideration do you get and where and when will it end?—l am etc., J. A. MILLER. April sth. 1934.