HARBOUR BOARD

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9613, 20 March 1917, Page 2

HARBOUR BOARD

ANNUAL MEETING THE CHAIRMAN’S ADDRESS. Tho annual statutory mooting of the Wellington Harbour Board was held yesterday, the chairman (Mr C. B. Daniell) presiding. The members present were Messrs M. Cohen. H. B. Sinclair. J. W. McEwan, R. A. Wright, M.P., J. G. Hnrkness, H. L. Nathan, C. W. Jones, and A. H. Hindmarsh, M.P.

Learo of absence was granted to Messrs J. G. Cobbo and B. Fletcher, M.P. THE YEAR’S WORK.

In moving the adoption of the annual report and statement of accounts, the chairman said:— . , “Tho very comprehensive report ana statement of accounts from the secretary, together with the reports of the engineer and the harbourmaster, giio full information in much detail of tiro business of tho hoard during the past year. Knowing as Idp the strenuous nature of tho work involved consequent on a reduced staff 1 would here congratulate Mr Nicholls and the., officers concerned. This is no mere formal statement on my part. 1 thing it is really duo to tho officers. TRADE AND FINANCES.

“The board’s figures confirm others already published that the volume of trade is remarkable in that rcrerd quantities of goods have been handled both outwards and inwards for the period under review, but members will bo interested to learn that for the period since these accounts were closed (live mouths) there is: a falling-oil both ih imports and exports. This may be only temporary as later months may correct tho difference, but in shipping arrivals for the past five months there is a decrease of 181,000 tons compared with the same period in the previous year. "The condition of the several funds as shoo n in the statement may be considered satisfactory. It would have been easy hut hardly wise to reduce the credit balance by spending on necessary work. Tho board’s restraint in this direction is in keeping with tho requiroments of the nation. ■ /

RECLAMATION 6. . “The absorbing interest in things military has precluded the progress ■ ot negotiations which , might reasonnb y have been expected. It will apparently take some educating of 'the _ several parties before a good result is obtained. In the meantime the Te Aro railway is a nuisance to traffic on the waterfront, and where it crosses the points of access to the several wharves is a real danger to life and limb, while the railway station blocks an important section city from the waterfront, and at the some time checks development on the Te Aro . reclaimed lands, of the board. Till these and. some other involved matters are dealt with, the possible reclamation of lands at Thorndon is held up, while the board’s dredge is lying idle at A cost of a couple of thousand pounds a year, instead of being profitably employed. Inquiries made and the actual business done in leasing the board s lands during the year , emphasise the importance of this, matter. v the new cheese store.

.“The now cheese store, while stih unfinished ■as regards appliances has proved most suitable for its ‘ designed purpose. This and several other of the board’s sheds have recently) boon used to store the great accumulation resulting from want of suitable shipping. The board’s staff are to bo congratulated on their efforts to save from depreciation this mass of a.valuable,(perishable, prof duct. There are tow TW.OOO cases ot cheese in the various stores worth* say, .£600.000 to *6700,000. ’lt has /been a pleasure to the board to co-operate with the Agricultural Department in its care for one of the most important products of the Dominion. . . "The impossibility of importing the electric cranes from England for the better handling of. cargo in the board’s sheds, has also made it undesirable _ to proceed with the structural alteration that will* be necessary in order-to. install the machinery.... Notes taken during the year demonstrate that economies would result as well as the more efficient handi limy of merchandise, i PIPITEA WHARF AND PATENT SLIP. "Little progress ’has been made in ths new Pipitea wharf, no steel tor rein ■ forcement of concrete being obtainable Aoout one-fifth of the piles' are made and, a 1 few placed in position. It may • fairly bo assumed that for want of this, i wharf there will bo some congestion of ‘dapping before Dio, structure can ' be erected after the war. There will prb- , bably bo a block. there, but we cannot help ourselves now. "The .apparent difficulty with the City : Council as to the proposed second slip at Evans Bay has been the subject of a Commission, and it is. understood that one more obstacle to the proposal is about to be removed. The Commission's report is fairly well in hand, 1 may say. ~ . THE FERRY WHARVES. "The Wellington-Lyttelton, ferry, wharf has proved bo bo quite a. success, and if the .. Railway' Department; could co-oper-ate in the same spirit, as the City Tramways Department does, inter-island travellers Would be well served. The smooth- working of the arrangement made by the board is often favourably commented on. Of the other ferry wharves, that at Petone, is little more than a monument, while that at Day’s Bay has. fully justified the improvements and additions recently made. : "The board’s decision to defer erection of the new office building, while justified under existing conditions, leaves the accommodation for the staff still unsatisfactory and the best results cannot be expected under present conditions.

“The increased rates Paid to wage earners, both casual and , permanent, have- necessarily meant increased expenditure which has.in: turn been met 'by increasing the charges for services rendered by the boaru. The unexampled values received for the products of the land, resulting in a plethora of money, has enabled traders to pay with scarcely a remark. Other increases are now asked by labour, with a variation in conditions of services which may matei'iallv advance the board's expenditure, but this may be partially met by improved methods and the use of mechanical appliances u here manual labour is now used. HAEiBOUEMASTEB’S DEPARTMENT. “The alterations in .tho harbourmaster’s staff made during the year may bo said to be working satisfactorily. Tho effort to do justice to the men, reducing their hours from 12 to 8 per day. while securing efficient service, has brought with it difficulties. The harbourmaster. a zealous and capable officer, has had a busy year. The death recen.tly of his first assistant (Captain Hayward) has serionslv weakened his staff, yet be cheerily carries his increased load, and his daily decisions, which, but for much care, might easily cause friction and loss, are notable for good results. CHIEF WHARFINGER’S DEPART MENT. "In the wharfinger’s department the further responsibility cast on the traffic manager and chief wharfinger has worked well in practice, relieving as it does our chief executive officer (Mr Nicholls) of much detail that, with the growth of business, has become impracticable for an officer with heavy responsibilities in so many ways to seal with. Wth a pay-roll for wages totalling .£IOO,OOO per year this department

requires special aptitude, and Vigilance on the part of the administration, and the need for improved hud continually improving appliances is worthy of constant attention.’’ STATEMENT OP ACCOUNTS. The statement of accounts showed that the total receipts of tho hoard since its foundation, to September 30th, 1916, amounted to .£5,059,10t, of which snnr £1,202,014 were loan moneys, £95,972 refunds of capital, and -£3,75-4,118 income, of which latter sum .£278,580 represents the receipts during the S--C year. The total expenditure of the board to September 30tb, 1916, reached .£4,877,401, or, excluding .£350,000 loans repayment, .£4,527,401. Gf this amount .£2,803,3411 represents working expenditure, .£270,495 repairs and maintenance, .£1,348,398 capital expenditure, and ,£100,165 contributions to sinking fund. The expenditure during the last year was aS , Working expenses and interest £211,156; repairs and maintenance, £16,511; capital expenditure, .£33.970; sinking fund, £4990; total. £266,537. The profit and loss statement shows a credit balance on working account ot £14.851 2s sd, as compared with £nbl4 in the preceding year. Tho small margin of profit on the previous years operations, the heavy increases in the wages aliHe of casual and permanent employees, and the. enhanced cost of all services and materials’brought' about by the war, were the solid reasons which induced the board in March last to revise its tariff. Tire' revenue for the year advanced from £237,529 to £2,5,821, an increase of £37,292, of which increase £13,150 was due to tariff alterations and £24,142 to increase pf business. ihe working expenditure advanced from £143,344 to £174,327, an increase of £30,983. Increases in tho rates of wages and salaries of permanent and casual employees were responsible for £10,680; additional cost of cartage accounted for £1172; printing and stationery for £742; and hoop steel and studs for £-419. On the other hand, owing to tho difficulty in obtaining timber and other, materials, the expenditure on repairs and maintenance was nearly £3500 below tho last year’s figure, and this must be borne in mind when gauging the value of the profit shown. Owing also to the same difficulties tho capital expenditure during tho last two years has been lower than usual, with the consequence that interest and depreciation have not increased in the normal degree. CONGRATULATIONS AND CRITICISMS.

Mr C. W Jones, in seconding, corn gratulnted the chairman and staff on the prosperity and success that had attended his vear of office. “Mr J. G. Harknoss joined in congratulating the chairman, and-the officerson their good work during yho y.ewv The financial position of the board was strengthening year by year. They had a credit balance of ‘ *614,851 - this year, ,os against *65814 last year. This increased balance was nartly due to increased' dhtarges and partly, to decreased expenditure on repairs, etc. u the expenditure had' been in: the same proportion as last year the; balance would nave been JBBOOO ■ or .64000, lees. -, The number of vessels coming to,the .port, last year . was 153 loss than the ycai before, resulting in a total decrease in tonnage of 366,000 tons; but in spite of that fact the general increase of bu«iness as a whole was very noticeable. Another satisfactory feature was the increased use made of the board’s leaseholds. He regretted the inability of the board to add to the wharfage accommodation during the past year.- In. normal times the wharf accommodation would have been quite inadequate for the,trade of the port. With the increasing trade with Australia they would need .greater accommodation. lie regretted that the Pipitea wharf had not been proceeded with'more vigorously, 1 It would take; at least two years to complete the- wharf after the war) and he feared that if they did not ; increase v the; accommodation Wellington might forfeit the position it now held as .the. leading port. In; tvew Zealand. The board’s working expenditure, repairs and maintenance, had jumped up.te 69.13 per cent, of their receipts this vear. The highest it over was before was 71.33 in .1913-14. But that high figure in 1913-14 was due to the fact that the cost of repairs and maintenance that year was ns high as 9.58, as compared with 6.04 this year. The working expenditure alone in 1913-. 14 was 61.75 i>er cent, of the receipts, as compared with 63.09 per cent. last year.The chairman had mentioned the increased wages, but the point was not so much the wages as the work done. Did they hot as much work done now tor a pound as they used bo do? That whs the point. The ratio of standing charges to earnings had. ho was glad to say, declined, i That was a good indication. ' •- TOO MANY "QUIDS'' FOR THE ' "QUO." Mr MqEwan said that he had thought the annual report so satisfactory, that members would have nothing to 'say.'Ho congratulated the chairman and the officers of the board on the good results of ,the year’s work. He took exception to the chairman's remarks, that, the Pei tone wharf was only a monument. He held that the returns would show that that was not the case. The Petone wharf was a quid pro quo for a concession made to the bool'd.

' Mr Cohen; ‘‘The trouble is that there were too many quids for the quo." (Laughter.) ■ , , . Mr Nathan eaid -that he thought the suggestion of the board’s l engineer (Mr J. Marchbanks) that the Pipjtea wharf should be proceeded-with in timber instead of ferro-ednerete was a good one. There was no doubt that when they got back to - normal conditions they would be very badly off indeed for accommodation. If they did not want to lose a lot of tbeir trade -tbe board would have to watch very carefully the development of Now Plymouth and Wanganui, and keep fully abreast of the times.

PANAMA CANAL AND TUB POET. Mr Cohen also emphasised the necessity for the board to increase tbe wharfage accommodation of the port and keen its methods and its machinery for handling goods thoroughly up-to-dato. The opening of the Panama Cana,!, ho contended, made Wellington the national shipping centre for this part of the world, and the hoard should make every endeavour to take full, advantage of that fact. ' Mr Dnnell, replying on .the discussion. said that improved methods and machinery and speedier handling of . tbe goods,. together with increased accommodation, would enable them ’to meet the competition of-Wanganui, and New Plymouth. The engineer had already submitted plans and suggestions for* - securing more rapid handling of-, the goods. Ho thought that the. board would also have to consider seriously the engineer's suggestion ns to finishing the Plnitea wharf in timber. Mr Nathan: "J will give notice of motion that the suggestion be. adopted." MEN . WORKING WELL. - The chairman said that he had heard it said more than once that tbe men were doing less work per hour than they used to. He had been trying to find out if that was the case, but bethought that they - were getting ns much work per hour ns ever they did. Some of the men, no. doubt, did not do -tbeir best. They would always find some men who did not. But he thought tlmt as a whole the men sid their best. He thanked-the various speakers for • iherr congratulations and kind references to himself and the staff of the board.-- . The report and statement of accounts were adopted unanimously, and it -was also resolved that the annual reports df the. secretary, the engineer, and the harbourmaster be - pHn*--d.