SHOULD 'PLANES PAY?

Waipa Post, Volume 48, Issue 3482, 21 June 1934, Page 3

SHOULD 'PLANES PAY?

PROBLEM OP HARBOUR RATES. Views on the question whether' seaplanes should be regarded as Watercraft and pay harbour rates when they alighted were submitted at the annual meeting of the Dock and . Harbour /Authorities' Association in London. Mr Harry Parsons, of Southampton, drew attention to a report by the executive, committee that three Scottish provisional orders, which had been promoted by members of the association, contained clauses which sought powers to levy rates on seaplanes, hydroplanes, and similar craft. He said he understood that power was also to be sought to charge all service machines in the same way as was now in order in dealing with naval craft. This was a difficult subject for the association, he said, because some harbour authorities were providing landing waters for these machines, and there was also the difficulty of arranging to deal with them when they arrived and departed. At Southampton an area was set apart, with Customs facilities, and in the future there would be an increasing use of mail and passenger 'planes. In addition quite a large amount of service aircraft used the water. At present no charge was made for these facilities.

Mr F. F. Smith, secretary of the Medway-Conservancy Board, said that his board provided every facility for the development of the aircraft Works in its area. As a harbour authority, they should be the last to charge anything for the use of the water.

Lord Ritchie, of Dundee, who presided, said that the matter would come up again sooner or later before the executive committee, and they would certainly invite the views of anyone interested. The time had arrived when something must be dene to end the "intolerable position" in which trust ports found themselves as a result of the competition of railway-owned ports. It might be that the railways, seeing more and more of the goods which were taken into their docks at unremuherative rates disappear on to the roads, would realise that the time had come for them to charge

economic rates for their dock services. It was certainly not fair that railway-owned ports should be subsidised by the railway companies out of revenue received for the carriage of passengers and goods.