HARBOUR BOARD POLICY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20586, 8 December 1928, Page 12

HARBOUR BOARD POLICY.

The intimacy of the connection between the administration of the port of Otago and the progress of, the provincial district does not require demonstration. Merchants, importers, manufacturers and others naturally expect to find an ally in the controlling authority of the port. That they are not absolutely satisfied that they are finding one might be the inference to be drawn from a recent reference by the president of- the Dunedin Manufacturers' Association to the nature of the reception that was accorded to a deputation from the Chamber of Commerce which waited on the board last month for the purpose of making representations- concerning dues and other matters. Possibly the board may be a little sensitive of anything approaching criticism of the manner in which it handles the affairs of the port. However that may be; it should surely be a matter for satisfaction that business men in the community are interesting themselves in harbour affairs, And if they consider that at any point the policy of the Harbour Board is in conflict with the wider interests of the community it is well that the matter should be gone into in a mutually harmonious spirit. The progress of the provincial district depends to a considerable extent on the ability of the port authority. to adju=t its charges for the use of the facilities which it provides in a manner that will serve as advantageously as possible the' interests of'the .community. Naturally, the business section of the community is concerned particularly with any aspect of the board's policy in relation to charges that may appear to-it to be hampering commercial prosperity. The question of the receipt and delivery of cargo appears to stand out as a matter which, as a subject of diversity of opinion, invites discussion at a time when the contract entered into by the Harbour Board in respect of these services is nearing expiration. Doubtless this was a matter regarding which the recent deputation from the Chamber of Commerce was desirous of placing its views before the board. There is this peculiarity about this particular contract, that it applies only to cargo which is brought overseas. At the present time all cargo landed at Dunedin from coastal and intercolonial vessels is received and placed in the sheds by the owners or agents o£ the vessels. In the case of overseas vessels delivery of the cargo is taken by the contractors to the Harbour Board. Why there should be a dif-

ferentiation of this kind is not veryclear. But the fact stands out that a .charge of 2s Td per ton is imposed by the board for the receipt of all overseas cargo and placing it iu the sheds. Out of this charge the contractor is paid the rate that is agreed" upon' and the balance constitutes revenue for the board. There does- not seem to be any corresponding charge in any other of the main shipping centres of the Dominion. In Auckland the Harbour Boat’d pt'OVidch linkage and sheds for the accommodation of ships and cargo, : and the owners of the vessels, .no matter where the ships may come from, discharge and deliver into the sheds all cargo that is received at the port. The Wellington Harbour . Board render* all. the necessary 'services. At Lyttelton and other’ ports .there is control by the Railways Department. Comparisons may. be difficult in such circumstances. But; it must still seem strange that in the case of Dunedin it should cost more to laud .cargo from one part of the world' than'from another., 1 On the face of things it is not easy, to 1 see the reasonableness of this charge of so much per ton on the landing of cargo fronr one set of vessels rather than from others. In the case of vessels discharging at Port Chalmers the owners pay 3s !)«1 per ton, on railage to Dunedin andj since they are willing to do this—no doubt the saviiig in. time, that, is effected by them is an important consideration—it may possibly be inferred that there could be no serious objection on their part to discharge cargo from their ships into the sheds any more thali there is objection in the case of coastal and intercolonial vessels. While the question of the port charges directly affects the importing community, it necessarily affects the whole community in an indirect manner, since in one way or another , the charges that are made arc, in most cases, certainly passed on to the- buyers of goods. Therefore any step that can be taken with a view to reducing such charges is of interest to the people of Otago. The time seems for the careful discussion of this question relating to the handling of goods on arrival at this port. The Harbour Board has an opportunity of deciding whether it will continue its present system of dealing with cargo arriving at Dunedin, or adopt a new policy, such as the deputation - of business men may he assumed to have suggested to it as better calculated to serve the interests of Otago.