Timaru Harbour Board.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13840, 27 February 1909, Page 2 (Supplement)

Timaru Harbour Board.

i? *~~ ANSTUAL REPORT. - The annual report of the Timaru Harbour Board, with statements of accounts, and a mass of comparative statistics bound together, were placed before" "the Board yesterday. The following is a condensation of the contents of the report:— -The report states that in.spite of an unfavourable season the trade and revenue were both better than in 1907. Imports and exports totalled 156,892 tons,- and the revenue £26,118 10s 9d. The rate collected was £7662 15s lOd, and £3BO was received under special " loan accounts. The ordinary expenditure was £15,293 5s 3d, and interest . payments £15,213 7s 6d; total £30,506 12s 9d. In addition £398 7s 2d was paid on loan accounts. Compared with 1898, shipping tonnage had increased ' 123 per cent., trade 100 per cent, and revenue apart from harbour rate 108 per cent. Reductions of charges to. shipping during the year lessened the revenue by £689 12s 6d. Government goods (coal, etc.), was landed • to an extent that should have paid £I7OO for wharfage, but ' nothing was paid. The direct imports from London were 10,160 tons in six steamers, who were m all 4b working days in discharging. Notwithstanding last year's drought, Timaru held the third place among the ports for shipments of frozen meat, last year's "total being 643,926 carcases (nearly 200,000 less than the year before). The nmber of vessels entered, last vear was 356, of 434,262 aggregate tonnage, against 340 vessels of 39/,LH> tons the vear before. The value of foreign and inter-colonial imports and exports according to Customs entries was £1 217,315; no such account is kept ot the coastal trade. During the year Mr J. Fraser retired from the Board, after many years' service, and Mr G. W. Armitage was elected in his place. In January the Board considered . whether they should appoint a consulting or residential engineer, and deciding on the latter, Mr F. W- Clarke, or Perth, was selected from some 20 applicants and appointed. A tender had been accepted for a new wharf at £20,689 7<= The Eastern Mole had not been tested bv any exceptional heavy seas during the year. It was very gratifying to repeatedly hear the high commendation of the benefits of the mole, expressed by masters of ocean " liners and.others. Efforts had been made to dispose of surplus construction plant, with but little result. The dredge had done an increased amount of work, but not so much as was hoped for in the outside channel. There had been several heavy seass, but they had failed to carry much shingle into the reclamation pit. The engineer calculated that it would require 23,000 cubic yards to fill it, and that it would cost about £I2OO. He advised delay, as the site is ndt likely to be required for some time. The railway lines on the main wharf have been respaced and an additional. line laid down, with considerable benefit to the working.of cargo. The Board having no further use tor them the freehold sections at the quarry had been sold to Mr J. King for £366 lis 3d. Attention had been jnveh to an anomaly in the electoral qualification in different sections of the harbour district, and a. clause had been drafted for insertion in any new Harbours Bill, to rectify the anomaly, lue local authorities Superannuation Act, passed last session, demanded careful consideration. No doubt some action would be taken at the next Harboui. Boards Conference, but the delegates should be advised of the-attitude or. . the Board towards tfe BilL is.made of the visit/of H.M.S. Promethus, Encounter, and Pibneer and the training ship Amokura, and of the visit of the Admiral of the station Sir W H: Fawkes on June 10th. His Ex- • cellency spoke in complimentary terms of the harbour facilities, in which the Prometheus was lying at the time or his visit. The report denies that tins Board had adopted or desired to adopt "policy of aggression on the trade of the port of Lyttelton. "We have a large and fertile district to-serve, and •r to only to get all the trade whir- • legitimately belongs to the port. in conYhision the chairman, who signs the report, congratulates the people 61 sTth Canterbury on the very favour- ' able season which had been expenence for both the agricultural and pastor.il Luhistries, the .results of. winch would no doubt'appear in an increase m tl,e frozen meat and cereal trade; thc> might therefore safely anticipate th.t 1909 would be a record year■ foi the value of trade dealt with at the port The chairman thanks the members to • their courtesy and co-operation and earnest attention to business and the staff for the care and attention witli which they had v discharged their rluThe resident engineer, Mr Clarke, ' furnishes a concise report on the work, of Ms department. The most important work before him when he took up his duties was the new wharf, the site of which had already been selected. After survey, soundings and borings, plans were prepared for a wharf 800 ft by 50ft, 300 ft off the Moody wbait. The Board decided to build in ironbark as cheaner thau ferro-concretc, and the tender of T. F. Slowey wa* accepted on October 27th, at £2O 689 the work to be completed by April 26th, 1910. When finished it will •rive 1200 ft of berthage, with a depth 'Sf 30ft at low water. Considerable repairs were needed to the two older ' wharves. Electric lights had been substituted for the Kitson lights on the Moodv wharf, with satisfactory results. The question of a stronger light at the end of the eastern mole will be dealt with at an early date. Plans for the future sidings on Fraser street had been approved by the Railway Department, and a small portion earned out. During heavy weather m July some portions of the northern face ot the eastern mole were displaced, and there had also been some settlement ui the crest. The rectification ot those was taken in hand, and the raising o] about 200 ft of.the shore end to i.J* above high water to more effectual> check - the movement r.f shingle. Hj rte end of the year 1200 ft ■ had■ hoc. made good, and 190 ft of the shore end raised'to the Yearns The stone, use. was 8885 tons, and the cost, including repairs to plant and tramline £tt>l» 14s 6d The cost of getting, hauling and tipping stone was 2s B^dl per ton During the year Dredge 300 lifted 304,500 tons, at a cost of 6.36 per ton, and the Taniwha 14,31 a tons, at u cost -of 10.94 d per ton,_ exclusive or depreciation and interest m both case. Dredge 350 had now deepened to an average of 30ft at low water a 'cuit'i of 600 ft by 200 ft wide, and ot 43011 by 300 ft, along the mam wharf. lm» the site of the new h.id lifted 122,500 tons, leaving .0,000 to-is to shift; and 98,900 tons from the mi channel. Inside the material ha I beenSS and stiff clay with boulders Some of these had weighed up Z '3 tons, and such ground needed very careful dredging. Both dredges bad been maintained in good order. A resurvey of the inner harbour and roadstead was now in hand, and; that ol the roadstead would be. continued t.o the'7-fathom line. When this survey is completed the soundings will indi-cate'to-ivhat extent .the-depth ot .water has-been improved -by dredging; ami

also enable computations to be marie as to the probable amount of dredging still to be done to complete tlie work decided on by the Board. •■ The whole of the plant had been maintained ; ;i efficient order. In conclusion, Mr Clarke expresses his thanks for the loyal support he had received from the office and the dredging staffs and al! employees of the Board. .The following are a few points from the general account for the 3-ear. The wharfage collected was £13,096, and the Railway Department received £327 for collecting it. Repairs to wharves cost £570. ; Ship-owners paid under various dues £11,076. The harbour- ! master's department, including salaries, wages, lighting, gear, repairs, and water,cost £2756. Dredge 350 cost £8093 (wages £2963, coal £I2OO, insurance £looo,'. docking, repairs and renewals, £2650), and earned £32 for towage. The Taniwha cost £923 (including insurance £100), but is credited with £270 earned by shifting ballast, attending on " 350," and working for harbourmaster. Both dredge insurances are held on fixed deposit by the Board, -and they now amount "to £2052 for "350," and £547 for the Taniwha. The Elsie Evans launch, with £SO insurance, cost £152, and earned £l2 for towage, and £2 2s as passenger fares. A sum of £393 was received for sales and hire of plant. £225 was paid under this head, including £192 for the electric liglit on Bloondy wharf. Respacing the lines on main wharf cost £ll2, and several other payments were made on account of sidings in Hayes and Fraser streets. The Board paid £lO5 in accident insurance premiums (general staff), and received £7O ,2s. 2d for • payment of claims, with £2 8s 4d yet to come. Separate premiums on .account of the quarry and eastern . mole staff had heen £24 10s. and claims paid £4 14s. The office staff cost £717 (the engineer's salary is charged wholly to loan account)!/ and sundry expenses, office, financial, legal, were £704. The credit balance at the beginning of the vear on general account was £5856, "and at the close £9131, after transfers had been made to interest accounts of £7550. But drafts against this on loan and interest accounts gave a final overdraft of £213 14s 6d. On account of the - harbour works loan of 1905, £1829 had been spent, in connection with the eastern extension, and £1676 on account dredge 350, £l4B for the new wharf, and £3OO engineer's salary. At 31st December there were on fixed deposits with accrued interest: Wharf Renewal Fund, £10,316; Dredge 350 Insurance, £2052 10s; Taniwha do, £547; Elsie Evans do., £396. The loans issued and current are: 1883, £IOO,OOO at 5 per cent.; 1886, £IOO,OOO at 5 per cent.; 1900, £IOO,000 — £59,600 at 4 per cent., £37,400 at 4i per cent, and £3OOO at 4* per cent.; 1905, £50,000—£26,300 issued—£Bsoo at 4J per cent., £17,800 at U per cent. The property of the Board is set down at £484,846 -.—Breakwater, north mole, wharves, £253,500- (£29,539 has been- written off the wharves) ; Eastern estension, plant belonging thereto, £132,362; railway sidings, £2315; harbour plant, afloat and. ashore, £6626; dredge 350 £31,676; Tanawha. £1619; Elsie Evans £600; slip, £300; lighthouse section ,and buildings £1500; foreshore, Patiti Point to Vainintaitai Creek and reclamations, say £24,000. Other buildings and furniture £9OO. Total liabilities, loans, £326,300, others £IO6B. Excess of assets over liabilities £157,478. * A comparative table of receipts and expenditure, shows very large differences between 1908 and 18:-.'8, lut hot much between" 1908 and 1904. The wharfage receipts have been £L3,000 odd for each of the last five years, the sliips* payments have been £IO,OOO odd since' 1903 : except in IDOS when they : went up a little over £II,OOO. The total revenue apart from rates was £24,056 in 1901, £26,11S last year and was £27,382 in 1905. ' . Other tables show, in succession, the quantities of imports and exports since 1882, the vessels loaded for English ports last year, arrivals direct from beyond New* Zealand (25), monthly tallies of dredging operations, return of landed properties, details of lands leased on reclamation (15 lots, to ten tenants, total rental £1058), and Customs returns since 1896 —revenue, values of imports and exports (beyond the Dominion), and number and tonnage of shipping.