WELLINGTON HARBOUR

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4313, 23 March 1901, Page 3

WELLINGTON HARBOUR

THE WORK OF THE YEAR

MR FERGUSON’S ABLE SUMMARY. PROGRESS AND ENTERPRISE disclosed. The annual report of Mr W. Ferguson, M.A., secretary, engineer and treasurer of the Wellington Harbour Board, bristles with facts which instruct, and figures that speak of progress and enterprise. WORKS IN PROGRESS. Jn tho first place, the contract works in progress are dwelt on. During 1900, tho sum of £35,455 15s was paid on pre-existing contracts, leaving liabilities on these contracts of i.zZ,190 8s 6d; also, £3294 9s 2d was paid on contracts let during 1900, leaving further liabilities on these contracts of £6863 3s 4d. The year 1901 thus commenced with accrued contract liabilities amounting to £22,052 11s 10(1. The' position and prospective progress of the several reclamation contracts is sketched. The damage caused by detritus being carried from tho Taranaki street sclwer and Poihill Gully streams, as the result of city excavations and Government works, has, it is noted, been brought under the notice of the Town Clerk and the Govcirnment. ACCOM MOD ATION—EXISTENT AN D WANTING. The contracts for the new joint wharf at Waterloo quay for road and railway traffic, to be called the Glasgow Wharf, had still, at the date of the report, to earn £17,057 0s 3d to complete their work, which would not be finished before the expiry of the contract time in June, if then. With regard to the widening of the southern end of the Jervois quay staging, and the erection thereon of two stores (part of the scheme of extensions approved by the Board in February, 1898), there remained a contract liability of £4851 16s 7(1, andl the work would still be far from completed when tlio time expired at the end 1 of the current month. Owing to the increased demand for berthage and storage, Mr Ferguson urges that as soon as the Glasgow Wharf is available for traffic, immediate steps sbpuld be taken to widen the outer tee of the Queen’s Wharf, and to erect thereon additional storage accommodation; also, although the Glasgow Wharf and Jervois quay works will to some extent relieve (.he pressure, that a wharf should be constructed at the foot of Taranaki street, and that tho Railway Wharf should be widened out to the line of dredging, so as to additional deep_ water berth, with storage accommodation on tho new structure. HANDLING FIRST-CLASS; STORAGE WANTING. In coming to these conclusions, Mr Ferguson referred to the increase in tho number and tonnage of vessels during the past Few years, and pointed out that the berthage and storage accommodation has not grown to anything like the same extent, the result bfling that last year there were several occasions when berths were not available when wanted, cud several vessels had to be either doublehanked or delayed. Coming to the deficiency of storage, it seems 1 that this defect would have been much more severely felt were it not for the Board’s well-known efficiency in the handling and stacking of goods on the wharf; the advantages iof the one branch of the administration having to a great extent neutralised the defects of the other branch. At the same time, Mr Ferguson emphasises the need cf better provision in berthage and storage, and points out that at the ports which he namoa us having been visited by him, during his rooenfc trio, tho storage provided la from twice to four times that of Wellington, Ah for tho handling ol general cargo, he saw at the ports and railway dop.ita visited no appliance* or conveniences to excel or even equal those which Wolilnft ton now possessed, "BRBWUS INCONVENIENCE TO SHIPPING,”

It is to be hoped that the Board will he as .desirous of building up the berthage and storage reputation of the port as it is determined to maintain the prosent reputation for effective handling. Wellington hoe been justly praised for its hydraulic crane appliances. Mr Ferguson states that ten hydraulic double-powered, 16cwt, and 40owt, Gantry movable cranes for the Glasgow Wnnrf, to be supplied by the Hydraulic Engineering Company (Chester), at a cost f.o.b. of £12,924, will shortly begin to arrive, being shipped at the rate of one a month. The six hydraulic capstans obtained from Armstrong and Co. for use on the same wharf were landed at a cost of £735 0a 7d, including £l2B 8s Customs duty (refund applied for), Regarding the local contract of Messrs S. Luke and Co., for the construction of four hydraulic cranes for £3540, none of the cranes was likely to be completed to contract time. The difficulty of prompt execution of the work perhaps indicated a satisfactory condition of prosperity in the iron-workers’ trade, but the absence of these, appliances caused serious inconvenience to shipping. The contract of Scott Bros. (Christchurch) for eleven hydraulic jiggers for £5lB 10s is not completed. WANTED—ADDITIONAL WOOL STORAGE. Additional wool storage is needed. The report states: —The decision of the Board to limit the weight of bales of hemp to 4501 b for a single rate of charges has worked! beneficially, and gradually all the millers are adopting a 4-cwt bale. As it was pointed out that it was difficult for millers to make thenbales exactly 4cwt, it was decided to take the average weight of each parcel of bales in place of the individual weight of each bale,, provided that no siuede bale in the parcel exceeded 4cwt 141 b. The Foxton Flaxmillers’ Association asked thao one week’s free storage should be given on hemp. This concession the Beard was compelled to decline, as it is essential, owing to the limited floor, space, that orders should he given promptly, in order that the hemp can be dealt'with as soon as possible after its arrival, and the. only method to onflVlro this is to place the hemp on st.or'EThe number of bales of wool and hemp stored, 154,308. much exceeded that of any previous y ear ’, h^%] 89 020 in 1899, ns compared with 9b,B>i in’ 1897. the highest previous year. Whilst in 1897 the number of bales

stored to bales shipped was <7 per cent., the proportion, this year rose to 81 per cent, the average proportion, for tho ten years 1890-1899 having been 64f per cent. The wool stored in 1900 amounted to 77J per cent, and the hemp stored to 88 2-3 per cent, of the number of bales shipped, showing that storage was increased in both classes of goods, but that the hemp has been responsible lor tlie largest portion thereof. TONNAGE AND EXPORT.

The total number of tons handled on the wharves was 253,029, or an increase of 9446 tons above the figures, 243,583 tons,, of 1899. Although the tonnage received shows variations up and down under the different headings, still the fact remains that the total handled over the wharves has shown an uninterrupted increase year by year, Having doubled in the last twelve or thirteen years. Last year 253.029 tons, ten years previously, iu 1890, 136,594 tons. In the exports dealt with oyer the wharves there was a substantial increase both in the goods leaving for coastal and intercolonial ports, and to British and foreign ports. Colonial produce, such a* frozen meat, butter, tallow, etc., shows an increase of 4536 tons to 26,516 tons (1899, 21,980 tons). The exports, colonial and coastwise, show an increase of 1657 tons from 60,355 in 1899 to 60,01? in 1900. , , . , The quantity of coal transhipped over side from, vessel to vessel shows a very large increase, having amounted to 437 ions, as compared with 94,921 tens in 1899, whilst tho imports over tho wharves amounted to 76,919 tons, excluding coal for the Government, on which no wharfage is collected, as compared with 65,897 tons in 1899. Summarising together the exports •passing over the wharves, including tho Railway Wharf, with the transhipment of goods for export both over the wharves and over side direct from coast, al to other vessels, we find that the frozen meat trade shows a further increase to 22,694 tons, as compared with 20,911 and 18,297 tons in 1899 and 1898 respectively; preserved meats show a falling-off to 1258 tons, as compared with 1630 and 1699 tons m the two previous yefars. Tallow, oleo, and pelts totalled to 5805 tons, as compared with 5352 and 5786 tons. Butter continues to show a large mcrease. 9121 tons, as against 7022 in 1899 and 5152 tons in 1898; whilst cheese shows a large increase to 4760 tons, it having-been and 2249 tons in 1899 and 1898 respectlVThe’ Railway Wharf has shared in the general prosperity of the port, the revenue derived from it having been £904 0s 9d, as compared with £689 10s Bdin 1899, and ten years previously, in 1890. £412 Ss. The increase in tho past twelve months is largely due to the increase in the tonnage of coals received, and in the large quantity of timber both imported and exported.

FINANCE. The total receipts of the Board since its constitution in 1880 has been £1 296 493, of which the revenue .has been £1,026,509, and the loan motleys have been £269,984. The total expenditure during the same period has been £1,223,513, of which £771,623 has been expended on working expenses, £423,385 upon capital account, and! £28,000 contributed to the sinking funds. “ The statement of profit and loss shows a balance to the credit of the Board of £7910 19s 4d in respect to the working account, as compared witu £6097 m 1899, £8829 in 1898, and £8260 i in 1897. The gross amount written on for depreciation of structures was £14,. 107, as compared with £12,829 in the previous year. From this gross amount written, down must be deducted the cost o! renewals and maintenance effected during the year, which are annually ad* ded to the aesets- This amounted lust year to £5070, Ivavlngthe not,,® written off for doprophitlon os £«4J2. os compared with £7407 in the previous year. This depreciation written down averages 8.2 per cent, on the whom or the depreclalfle property of the Sogrdj m compared with 8.3 per wnt' tn i.WW' i " The balance of 1 assets over ■JiabiUtUts is estimated as ®lB7)S7d Os 10d) bcIHK 1 an increase for the twelve months of , £12,143 J» U arising i from the balaww . of profits previously stated an £7OIO 10s j 4d, and from the increase m thq value ; of the sinking funds of £4234 2s 3d. The total expenditure to dote m respect to the Grainger street block and the deviation of the roads and railways , in order to provide sufficient depth of site for the proposed graving docks, amounts to £34,671. and the receipts for rents and for sale of old buildings amounted to £2124, leaving the cost to the Board as at Slst December, 1900, £32,447. To this, however, should be added interest at 4 per cent., calculated on the daily debit amount, £1695, raising the cost to the Board to £34142. THE TIMBER DIFFICULTY. Mr Ferguson attributes the delay in completion of the important contracts for the Glasgow Wharf and staging, and for the widening of Jervois quay and staging, to the difficulty in obtaining timber and freight from Australia. The contractors for the latter work had great difficulty in getting . early and rapid shipment of the Australian hardwood Used in the work, and the secretary adds that no doubt the large demand for I timber for New Zealand rendered’ it I very difficult to obtain a suitable class of shipping. The Australian, timber trade has also had! the effect of increas- , ing the number and! tonnage of sailing ships during the last twelve months, it would seem that from this, and other causes the tonnage of sailing ships in the port has varied, but steamers show a steady yearly increase. The secretary’s annual report states: — 1 The trial lot of jarrah ordered from Western Australia was duly delivered, cross-cut into blocks, and stacked for drying. It is intended to proceed with the paving of the road area between the head and 1 wharf office buildings forthwith. With the experience gained over a number of years as to the wear of wood-blocking on the wharves as compared with that of ordinary woodl-deoking, and considering the increased 1 and! increasing cost _of timber, it becomes a serious question, for the Board to consider whether they ought not,, when the outer tee of the Queen’s Wharf is widened, in accordance with the scheme adopted by the Board in February, 1898, to provide for the blocking of the whole of the service of the outer tee, both old and new.” . i THE PETONE WHARF. The two years’ lease of; .the Petone. Wharf from the Wellington Harbour Board' to the Petone Borough Council will expire at the end! of November next. During 1900 there were lauded at the wharf 2288 tons of coal, 208 tons of guano, and 312,350 feet of timber, whilst 6274 tons of meat, 994 tons of tallow and pelts, andi 225 tons of manures were shipped therefrom. The revenue re. oeived by the Board was £l9l, whilst the Petone Borough Council retained £302, Out of this sum they had during the year to make a considerable outlay for repairs to the jetty. The whole of this trade was. it is understood, for the Gear Meat Company, Limited, and as their shipments will probably be made from the Glasgow Wharf when it is available for traffic, the secretary of the Harbour Board reports that the necessity for the Petone Wharf will have then largely passed away.

BOAT HARBOUR AND SHEDS. The agreement between the City Council and the Board as to the widening of Clyde quay to 100 ft, and the construction of the proposed baths at a point 100011 from the eastern end ot the Te Aro reclamation was duly executed. It provides for the erection of a vertical wall for the portion opposite the boat harbour towards the cost ot which the Board is to contribute the sum of £7BO. The Council undertakes to build the wall commencing at the Te Aro end, so far as the funds in hand (£2000) with the amount to be paid by the Board will permit. It lias been arranged that the party-wall which the Board has to construct between the boat harbour and the baths, shall be included by the City Council m its baths contract.