AUCKLAND HARBOUR

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 9871, 17 January 1918, Page 8

AUCKLAND HARBOUR

DECREASE OF £BOOO IN REVENtEI|

A return showing the receipts of thoj Auckland Harbour Board lor the year, 1917 was furnished on Monday by tlhoi ohairmanj Mr H. D. Heather. The; figures, ho said, gave a clear indica-; tion of the general falling-off in the; trade of the port, and emphasised tha wisdom of the board’s carry J( on only essential works. _ j The receipts from, ordinary sources) in comparison with the previous year.) snowed a decrease of £BOOI, thov amounts being: 1916, £164,285; 1917,T £1£6,254. Towards the end of the) year the board, faced with a falling re-* venue consequent oh the disorganisa-' tion of shipping, decided to levy a harbour improvement rate and wharfage pn refined sugar for consumption with-, in the Auckland province. The receipts under these heads wore ,£5312j and £275 respectively. There would,, therefore, have been a decrease oft £13,688 in' the' year’s receipts had', these new rates not been enforced. J The return given simply dealt with] revenue, Mr Heather v pointed out, and,) of course, when, the .general account! came out there would bo on.e or two 1 items of ©xfenaordin&ry expenditure, whidh would further emphasise tho| wisdom of the board’s, policy as to limi-) tation of Works. One of the items roj ferred to was the cost of the £160,003 loan raised last year—roughly, aboul £SOOO. This had to come out of gene) ral account, the loan'being an old one’ for which no sinking fund had beef pffovractl.