REDUCED HARBOUR DUES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14929, 29 February 1912, Page 9

REDUCED HARBOUR DUES.

BOARD CANNOT AFFORD THEM.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —OW.V CORRESPONDENT.] Wejxington, Wednesday. The Harbour Board yesterday was called upon to consider a motion by the chairman (Mr. R. • Fletcher) to rescind a. previous resolution which proposed to make certain remissions in dues, before the wharf labourers secured their recent in- I creases in rates of pay. Mr. Fletcher had announced at a meeting of the Board that the finance and revenue of the harbour were in such a buoyant condition that it would be possible- to make reductions amounting in all to some £7000 per year. Then, however, the wharf labourers obtained their new agreement which entailed upon the Board, acting as wharffinger, an additional expenditure of some £9000 per year. The Chairman stated that of the £7000 which it had been proposed to remit £3000 had been homo by merchants and £4000 by shipping. The extra charges which the Board would be required to meet this year would be £9300. The increase to the wharf labourers' pay of 2d per hour absorbed £6000, and the increases to permanent staff £1171. This money had to be found by the Board from somewhere, and therefore it could not, as had been proposed, give away £7000 in remissions. He was not asking the Board to agree to any fresh impositions, but merely to continue to collect the rates at present in force. Ho moved: "That the resolution of November 22, 1911, in so far as it relates to the reduction of the harbour improvement rate from 6d to 4d per ton, and to the reduction of inward wharfage on general goods from 2s 8d to 2s 6d per ton be rescinded." Mr. Jones, who is general manager for Messrs. Huddart-Parker, submitted that it was only reasonable and logical that the increase should bo recouped by an increase in wharfage, and not by putting the bulk of it on the ships. He moved as ap amendment: "That the increased cost of handling cargo, due to the increase in rates paid for labour, should be met by an increase in wharfage dues."

The amendment was lost on the voices, and the motion carried.