SHIPPING CHARGES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13356, 5 August 1907, Page 2

SHIPPING CHARGES.

PROPOSKD RKnUOHONS. The following tallies were prepared by the <;ecrefarv to the- Harbour Hoard, Mr W. J. Bardslev. at the request- of -Mr T. 1). Young, to illustrate the latler"s motions, made at the. last meeting of the Board, for the reduction of certain charges made directly upon shipping- These- motions are that the present charges for hawser.--. - 2 d per ton per (lav on the registered tonnage of the- ve.-::els. and the charge for fendtr:;. £1 each per dav. lie reduced by half. SHIPPING DUES. The following tables, prepared by the .'•civtaiy to the- Harbour Hoard, were referred to at the meeting of the Board on Friday week, in connection with a motion !>" Air T D. Young for reduction of the shipping due- The subject is to lie further discussed at next meeting : - MOORINGS, FENDERS, AND BERTHAGE (Shillings and Pence Omitted). Revenue. Expenditure.' Surplus. £ £ £ 1902 ... 3,152 1,848 1.3C3 1913 4 080 1.919 2,160 19C4 4.080 2,271 1,809 1905 ... 4.374 2.259 2,114 1906 ... 4,349 2,679 1,669 Total... 20,035 10.978 9,057 HARBOUR REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE (Shillings and- Pence Omitted). Revenue. Expenditure. Surplus. £ £ £ 1902 ... 7.544 2,706 4,839 1903 ... 10.204 2,833 7,371 1904 . 10,456 3,613 6,842 1935 ... 11,099 3,412 7,686 19£6 ... 10,884 4,220 6,664 Total ... 50,188 16,785 33.403

.:_-.. ATHENIG'S ■ BILL (a).— 7833 Tons Net. - Timaru. Lyttelton.. Wellington. Auckland. Duuedin. Bluff. ijj" P, «. d. £ s. d £ s. d. £ s. d. 'Alaximum. Alaximum. tfi p Staying 2 davs and working 989 tons of cargo .136 13 3 247 17 5 142 16 0 144 110 £ s. d. £ s. d. -'" ~ Staying 2~davs and working 1200 tons of cargo 210 3 9 247 17 5 145 11 .0 144 110 205 0 0 180 0 0 to: Staying 6 days and working 2160 tons of cargo 315 9 3 258 7 5 190 5 9 176 14 8 oj PAKEHA'S BILL ■(a).— 2842 Tons' Net. §?• (d.) ' I oo : Staying 2 clavs and working 750 tons of cargo 65 13 -037215614 10 65 2 7 140 5 2 118 ,8 4 | Staying 2 days'and working 980 tons of cargo 97 19 2 97 2 1 59 12 4 65 2 7 140 5 2 118 8 4 ' Staying 6 days and working 2160 tons of cargo 167 17 10 107 12 1 86 4 2 76 19 5 143 8 4 118 8 4 £> . (a.). Light clues (payable to.H.Al.. Customs) nob included, (b.) Electric light dues to add if used. (c.)-If '"lnward" cargo .^ handled after ordinary hours, an additional charge, (d.) This includes £lO for tug, if not needed, total reduced by this amount. ' to , (e.) If s-srvicen of Pilot taken, 2d per ton extra. -• •,- - to Note.—If these steamers worked ''considerably larger" cargoes -at the other ports their total charges would only be influenced very "slightly," whereas -"with Timaru every additional ton of cargo would inflate the total charge. Napier is no"t brought into "^ the comparison, as the steamers do not go to the wharf there. " i->

Mr Young -spoke in support of his motions at the meeting and luither discussion was postponed till next, meeting . Mr Young's principal reasons for proposing to reduce the charges on wharf fendtrs,°as stated afresh to a "Herald" reporters' are (1) That owing to the improvement of the harbour by the construction of the Kastan Mole, the charges no longer bear any relation to the cost of the appliancesV, they did when the charges were fixed, and the wear and tear on these things was wry great. (2) That these are the only charges that shipmasters have complained to him about, their complaint probably lving founded on the manifest unreasonableness of the amount. They are asked to pay for the use of certain appliances and they see that these, appliances do not cost the* Board anything like the amount charged for them. (3) The Hoard, and the whole community are desirous of encouraging steamers to make the fullest use of the port, and especially desirous of encouraging the direct import trade and any dissatisfaction with-the amount of charges on the steameui must tell against that d.sire. (4) That the Board can afford to reduce the charges and give up some of the 90 per cent, profit they are making on ropes and fenders. Mr Young pointed out that in order to get (lie lablts into reasonable compass they did not show all the facts. In the table of comparison of cost at different ports ihe total cost to the Athenic and the Pakeha for two days' work did not appear to be exce.isivj : bill no allowance was made for long stay, and steamers paid a good deal extra for overtime work in order to getaway, in two days. The same table showed two huge anomalies. If the Athenic, staying two days worked under 1000 tons <if cargo, she would pay £136 odd ; if she

worked 300 tons more she would have to pay over half m much more. And if she slaved six days she. would have to pay more than twice as much as for two (£IBO more), whihl at Lyttelton the extra charge would be only £lb 10s. This last feature of the. sj'iitein of charging comes out even more .strikingly in the ease of the Pak-elm. Air Young admitted .-that the total charges for two days compared very well with thorn- of. othtr ports, but, as he had already said, there, was the cost of' working overtime, to be added, overtime being paid as cheaper than incurring port charges for fillother day. The. .".s Oiari, lie said, would be here'this wetk, with about 2000 ions of cargo. This would take at le-'ffc six days to discharge, and the charges for moorings and fenders, in thati caw. would lie £79, a. ridiculously excessive charge in comparison with the weTir and tear of the appliance*. Some memb.-rs said the ships n.-nst come, in nvd'e-r what the charges were. That was not true of the steameis that brought- goods to Timaru. I hey tcok a, lot of persuasion to get them to come at s-Jl, and it would not take much usual ion to cause them to cease coining. It- had also bejn said : "We don't want them to stay mora than two days." It wr.-.i a.l suid to talk like that. The steamers landing goods could not do :the work in two days. The Chairman of the Board, Air Craigis, was also teen, and he stated that he. was in full sympathy with Air Young. The charges for rajms and fenders ought to be reduced, they being out of all- proportion to the similar charges in other places. He had been told that it was a standing joke in the port of London : "Have you brought those ropes and fenders that you paid for at Timaru." AVhen the big ships had vo pay over £3O for them' at Timaru and only £s* 5s at Lyttelton, it was evident that the charge was too high. The whole scale needed revision. The worst anomaly in it was that it penalised, the very boats that the Board had begged for in the past, the boats landing direct imports. The whole community derived benefit from the direct importations. They were saved transhipment freights, and the goods were saved the extra handling and damage. These goods took time to discharge, and a uteamer bringing 1000 or 2000 tons could not got away as quickly as one loading here. Yet the import boat would be penalised for staying, whilst at other ports they could stay a month for very little more than for two days. The i comparitive table brought that out clearly. Air Craigis attached a good, deal of importance ..to the removal of this anomajly, because it was highly desirable to foster the import business. The. export business w r as comparatively secure, it nifut ba carried on, but, the direct import trade was in little more than an experimental stag*, and the Board should do what they could to increase it. The benefit to the public would justify some strong steps being.taken in that direction, and the removal of the penalty on the longer stay required ,by..import steamers was ons step that suggested itself.;

REVENUE FROM HAWSERS AND FEEDERS FROM HOME STEAMERS, JANUARY-JUNE, 1907. Davs at Wharf. Paid. £ s. <l. Ruapelra 2 23 2 5 Matatiia 5 48 10 8 Suiisax 3 24 18 1 Orari 6 63 1 0 Wahrera 4 37 10 10 Whakatane 3 26 13 3 Tokomaru 6 56 18 0 OGwtstry Gransre ... 1 10 17 7 Tongariri 1 ii: 4; 10 Karamea 2 16 16. 1 Turakina 2 24 . 0 9 Nairnshire 3 '•5 19 10 Waiinate 4 34 4 10 Ayrshire ' 3 33 17 3 Athsnie 3 51 19 2 Pajiaroa 2 19 13 10 Morayshire 2 17 15 4 Arawa 3 40 8 1 Covin thie 2 34 12 8 Suffolk ... 2 22 4 6 Kaikoura 2 20 13' 1 Ruapshu 4 46 4 10 Waiwera 3 28 3 2 Matatua 3 29 2 5 Rimiitaka 3 34 i9 3 Fjfeshire 2 17 7 10 Mamari 3 31 7 6