THE PATENT SLIP.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6383, 4 December 1907, Page 7

THE PATENT SLIP.

TERMS OF THE ACQUISITION.

A CONTROLLING INTEREST. HARBOUR BOARD FORESTALLED. Quito a sensation was caused in ths city yesterday by the statement in the ‘'New Zealand Times" that negotiations for tho acquisition of the ‘ Patent Slip Company’s property by tho Union Steam Ship Company wore ‘ x> r octicaUy concluded. Wc aro now able to state th<i full’facta of th© negotiations. ,q - t 'As indicated in tho "New Zealand’* Time's” on previous occasions, the ©ngi- : near to the Harbour Board, Mr' \W Ferguson, Ims several times recommended the Board to acquire the patent slip 1 and operate it as one of its activities. The matter was last under consideration in July, when Mr Ferguson again reported in favour of tho x )U rchase. At that timo an offer was made to the Board Gy the directors of the Patent SUfi Company, but tho Board fouhd . i&feQ unable to accept the terms ’ and conditions. Since then no further offer wan made by tho company.' In tho meantime, the Union Steam' Ship Company, being impressed with the potentialities ox me of nib slip entered * into negotiations with the directors. The negotiations have now readied to Una position, as stated by tho Wellington manager of the Union Company, Mr \V. A. Kennedy, that the Union Company has imrchased a number of shuretj in tho patent slip, but tho Slip Company v itself will continue under the, old titl* \ and with the same directorate as at pro* sent. . ...

AN lEONFOUNDER'S OPINION.

THE EVANS BAY SCHEME. 1 . , ' tt

Mr J. 3?, Luke, who has been tlu prime mover, is, a member of the Wellington City Council, in the scheme {or the utilisation of the head of Hvujih Lay for the purpose of locating some of , the industries of the city, whs asked- hit opinion on the acquisition of the slip. " I .look., l upon it," he : replied, " ae being a very satisfactory ■ and beneficial mutter for the trade of line port if it Will bring a larger amount of the company's work to Wellington, than bur been the case heretofore.' There .wan no doubt, he continued, that, the facilities which the company had had in Port Chalmers had been the principal cause of a considerable amount of- the 1 i work in connection wth the boats trading out of Wellington and on the West' Least being done there. Of course, the engineers in Wellington had- for, a long time been looking forwards to the compillion of the dock,, which would place them in a jiesition .equal to that of any other port in Australasia. Until this came about- they bed to do what they • could with the ’ conveniences afforded by the patent slip. Per some time past the sup iiucl ocen taxed considerably to meoi, the requirements of the Union Coin- 1 pany, and consequently many of tho small boats frequenting this port had to - go to .Nelson or, Lyttelton to undergo repairs on their annual survey. Th.s had entailed considerable loss, not only on luo snipping u-ude, ujit also on the shipwrights, shipping - joiners, painters, and, a certain class of unskilled labourers , who received employment in connection with the overhaul of ships, lie did : not anticipate that tho acquisition of tho slip by the Uuiom Company would lead to the exploding of tho smaller snipping companies, since tho Union Company: carried on buointea on a basis that did not compote with them. At tho saute time, it Was _ only to be expected th.il the slip would be booked ahead consider- 1 ably, and that tire smaller craft would have to wait their chance. So that probably a greater number of these smaller boats would bo sent away to other porte ror overhaul than ’ at pro* • sent. Ho regretted exceedingly that tho Harbour Board, which some time ago' was negotiating for tho purchapo of till] » patient slip, did not bring the negotia-,: 1 tions to n successful issue, for it must be patent to everyone that it would ha more in the interests of the general public that the slip should be owned by tho Board than by a private company, how-' ever mucin goodwill tho private company might extend to its- rivals- among tho small craft. Still, ho hoped that the Harbour Board' would give every facility to the company to extend its operations by helping it in, tho matter of reclaiming ground, and with wharves to lay its ships alongside of. Tho interests of the company wore those of tho city. Asked if the patent slip played any part in tho proposed Kvahs Bay reclamation, Mr Lnko replied in tho affirmative. As a matter of fact, ho had emphasised that the acquisition of the slip was an- ' solutoly necessary. At that time the V negotiations with tho Harbour Board were a real .live question, so ho could do nothing more than had been done up to then. In his opinion, the acquisition of the slip by the Union Company would bo the commencement of a very extensive development of tbeir industry. Tho whole thing was a most empbatiu endorsement of the scheme of reclamation and wharves in Evans Bay to provide for the industries which wore be- ' ing cramped in the city. There was not the slightest doubt that in the near future Evan* Bay would bo a oontro <rf industrial enterprise that would not be equalled, and certainly would not bl excelled, in any other part of the Do minion.

PATENT SLIP COMPACT

CAPITAL AND PEOPEIKIT,

Tbe patent slip was built in the year* 1871-3 under, a special eubsidy from tbe Government. This subsidy, which exceeded .£2OOO a year, was continued for twenty-one years, and was then discontinued, the company being reconstructed in 1834). The snare capital of the company stood for many years at The present capital, according to ths last balttnoerfcheet, 18,812, & far can bo ascertained,' the buildings, and plant cost JJ3C,OOO. Tho property consist/? of about 104 acres of freehold land below water, and. twenty acres above water. Of this area about one acre and a half arc occupied .by;the slip and the buildings, four acres are more or less flat land, and tho balance is hilly. Ths assets appear in the last balance-sheet as worth .£18,530. The elip has been paying for several years past. For the last ten years tho number of Eiinped has ranged from 91 to 111, and tho tonnage from 31,789 to 50,239 tons. Last year 104 vessels were dipped, ih< tonnage being 45,079. - V) - THE TVEDLINGTOV DOCK.” Tho 'Wellington dry dock, jvhich is t< he completed on December 31st, 1910, will have a total length of 671 ft at the bottom, and a breadth at the eatrauc. of 8-tft at 32ft 6in below high-water mark, on the eill. The width oi the inside of the dock will Ire lo6ft. ..Tho dock will accommodate the largest , vessels which visit Now Zealand. The lonic, Corinthic, and Athcnic, each 500 ft in length, will find ample room in .the dock. •j/Jkj dock will lie divisible into, length, of OSft, 483 ft. and 333 ft. The contract price Is .£186,000 lor tiio dock itself and the pumping-houso up to the ground level, in tub harliour works Bchbnu (hereis provision for a smaller and,shah: lower dock of about 360 ft ,; length, suitable for the smaller ! coastal fleet, and, located about two chains and a half to tho eastward of main, dock. ■