PROFIT ON WATER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20420, 23 November 1929, Page 15

PROFIT ON WATER.

SUPPLIES MADE TO SHIPS< COMPLAINT AT WELLINGTON. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON. Friday. The charge made by the Wellington . Harbour Board for fresh water supplied to ships, arid its possible detrimental effect on the port, was referred to by Mr. Azi' Fletcher at a meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. One member said he understood that some ships avoided Wellington because of the high' cost of water. .

Inquiries were made to-day as to tha truth of the allegations, and it was ascertained that the charge for water supplied to ships was 6s 8d a 1000 gallons. The charge made to the Harbour Board by ( the City Council is 5s a 1000 gallons up to 7,000,000 gallons a year, and after that 4s a 1000 gallons. "The last annual balance-sheet of fhe board shows that the amount received from ships watering ati Wellington was £11,315. Payments by the board on account of water totalled £8037, so that the board made a prof# on its water transactions of £3278. It is stated that the shipping companies do not object to the Harbour Board making a profit on its water, but that they do think the charge is too high. They, are inclined to the belief that rel?ef should come from the City Council, whose charge of 5s a 1000 gallons to the board is a good deal in excess of what is charged to local institutions. "I do not think Wellington should be prejudiced by any unreasonable charges,*' said one shipping company representative. "We should, for example, be able to buy water here as cheaply as at Auck-i land, where the charge is 5s a 1000 gallons. In some ports in New Zealand the charge is even higher than in Wellington, netablv ai> Gisborne, where it is Bs, and at Napier, where the charge is 9s. At those places it has to be lightered off to (.he ships lying on the roadstead, but jn such places as Nelson and New Plymouth the charge is only 5s a 1000 gal-

lons. , •' "It seems that the charges for \vater ; in all the New Zealand ports arc on a scale in excess of what is charged m other big ports of the world. The lotlowing figures bear out that contention:--London, 3s a 1000 gallons'; Liverpool,- la 5 l-sd: Manchester. 2s 6d; Avonmoutb, 3s: Falmouth, 3s 9d; Southampton,. 2S 2d; Hull, Is 6d; New York. 3s ; Ham* burcr. 3s 3d: Antwerp, 3s lid: Balboa, 2s 2d; Dunkirk. 3s 8d; Sydney, 2s of, Is, according to location; Melbourne, 3s£ Adelaide, 3s; Brisbane, 3s; Fremantlo,, . 45." * ... It. is stated that, negotiations are proceeding between the City Council , and the Harbour Board on the matter., or water charges, so that there is a possible ' chance of a readjustment in the neaS future. - i;- ■