PORT CHARGES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18999, 23 October 1923, Page 14

PORT CHARGES.

THE GOVERNMENT’S FEE. AUCKLAND STATEMENT REFUTED. (Pm United Press Abbooiatioh.) WELLINGTON,, October 20. In the course of on interview upon port charges and light dues the chairman ol the Auckland Harbour Board (Mr H. R. Mackenzie) is reported as having staled that the Government fee of 6d per ton for light dues amounts practically to the total charge in Auckland for all services. This assertion. stated the Secretary of the Marine Department (Mr A. D. Park) does not wholly set out the position, and is likely to be misleadng. “The rate on vessels, arriving from overseas,’’ stated Mr Park, “is 6d per ton net in respect of the first arrival in New Zealand on any voyage, and thereafter J,d per ton net in respect of each arrival at any port on the coast on the same voyage. Therefore, if an overseas vessel makes Auckland' her first and last port of call as Mr Mackenzie says many vessels do, the total charge made by the Marine Department for light dues in respect of two calls at Auckland wou.d he at the rate of 6jd per ton, whereas it might reasonably be inferred from Mr Mackenzie’s statement that the charge is 6d per ton for each call, making * total of Is per ton. If the vessel did not call at Auckland first, but called there subsequently in course of her voyage, the charge ot Auckland would be only jd per ton for each call. “As regards the further statement that the light dues equal the port charges, 1 would point out that if a vessel from over seas called at, say, eight ports on one voyage to complete discharge and loading, the total charge made by the Marine Department for light duos would be at the rate of 9jd per hour, being 6d for the first port and jd for each of the other ports. On these figures those supplied by Mr Mackenzie as charges imposed by the Auckle-nd Harbour Board for light dues at Auckland are bv no means equal to the board's charges, and the total light dues for the voyage represent only a small proportion of the total charges imposed by the various harbour boards.”