TRANSHIPPING CHARGES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3105, 17 September 1913, Page 13

TRANSHIPPING CHARGES.

OF INTEREST TO DUNEDIN.

HARBOUR BOARD APPROACHED

At the meeting of the Otago Harbour Board held last July an application from Mr H. C. Campbell asking lor a remission of dues on 13 cases of motor cars, cx Otaki, which were being transhipped at Dunedin for Invercargill, was considered, but the remission asked for was finally refused. When the application hud been previously considered by the Standing Committee, however, it had been referred to the board for its favourable consideration. Mr Campbell has now written to the board on the sunject as follows;

“ I beg to acknowledge receipt of your favour ot July 26, and note that the board does not see its way to grant th.s application, but 1 feel quite certain that the present members of the board nave come to this decision through being partly unacquainted with the facts. This shipment was simply sent to Dunedin to bo transhipped to Invercargill, us at the present time it is recognised by many importers in the south that it is quicker to get goods consigned to Dunedin and pay the extra cost from Dunedin to Invercargill, owing, as mentioned before, to the more frequent communication which thte port has with London. Now, it is this. 1 think, we, as citizens of Dunedin, should seriously consider. The time is not far distant when the service from London to Bluff will possibly be as frequent jus that from London to Port Chalmers, therefore I contend that the cheaper we can land goods and the quicker they can be sent on to Invercargill via Dunedin the greater are the chances of a more frequent service to Bluff being delayed, as it is only natural that ;f importers are getting fairly well served at a very little more expense they will not bo so eager to advocate a change. Wo have a special advantage in Dunedin by being able to tranship goods included in A,* B, C,_ and D class, according to the railway tariff, and forward them to Invercargill at 13s a ton dead weight, Onmavu at 12s 6d a fon dead weight, and Timaru at 18s a ton dead weight, and I contend that, by permitting goods for those throe ports, consigned on a through bill of lading to actual importers at these three ports, to be sent on by rail, it would be the means of materially increasing the transhipments at this port. At one time Dunedin was the port for transhipping a very great deal of Oamaru and Timaru cargo from West of England steamers which i.s now being done at Wellington, but I believe bv allowing those goods to cross our wharves at the transhipping rate, and railing them to Oamaru and Timaru, and allowing for landing charges to Timaru at the rate of 3s 6d a ton and Oamaru at 4s a ton, it would be to the .advantage of owners of steamers from West of England to again revert to making Dunedin the port of transhipment for these two places. To further encourage this work cartage would bo saved if only wo had railway communication with Iho wharves, as in that case goods could be railed direct from the ship’s side to destination. If the members can take this view of the case I am quite sure thev must come to the same opinion as myself, and that is that it would be to tbe advantage of Dunedin to permit actual goods as per bill of lading for Invercargill, Oamaru, and Timaru to be transhipped by rail at iho transhipping rate.”