HARDSHIP OK PRODUCERS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3332, 26 September 1911, Page 2

HARDSHIP OK PRODUCERS.

HARBOR BOARD CHARGES CRITICISED. INTERESTING COMPARISON ON RATES. REDUCTION-WILL BE CONSIDERED AT END OF YEAR.

In the course of a letter Capt. Steinbeck, master of the schooner Awanui, pointed out to the Harbor Board yesterday what he claimed to be the necessity for tarn amendment and alteration of ‘the River Improvement rate, which, as it stood at present, lie said, wasprohibitive. Given a sailing vessel of 500 tons burthen coming to. Gisborne with coal, and to load pine for a Commonwealth port, and considering the far from up-to-date facilities for loading and discharging, she would 1 have to hand over to the Board every trip between £6O and £7O at the very least. Mo f/hip could stand it at the present rate of freight, and he was afraid that shippers and consignees who thought that with an improved harbor would come reduced freights would find the saicl freights raised instead. The secretary stated that the charges for the Hazel Craig, 467 tons, were as follow: —Port charges 2d per ton £3 17s 10d, harbormaster’s fee, £1 18s lid, river improvement rate Id per ton-per day for six days £ll 13s 6d, making a total of £l7 10s 3d. The cost- per week afterwards was £ll 3s 6d. “I don’t know where the £7O comes in,” lie added. The chairman said lie had informedi the Captain that the Board could not entertain the proposal. ' The . vessel could easily discharge four or five hundred tons and get away in twenty-four hours. The Regulus, with 500 tons of coal, could easily discharge it and' get away the following day. Captain Steinbeck only discharged with his own crew, and if lie employed outside labor lie could, get away quickly. The Beard could not alter their by-laws to suit every captain. Messrs Nekon Bros., Ltd., and the Gisborne Sheepfarmers Company wrote drawing attention to the heavy handicap t-lie producers of this district were under owing to tlie exorbitant wharfage rates charged by the Board on frozen meat (mutton and lamb) which was a fraction over double the Napier rate, which in their opinion was also excessive. The following figures would probably enable the Board to realise what the Gisborne Producers had to compete with. The Gisborne wharfage was ten times greater than Lyttelton, and Dunedin, five and a-half times greater than the Bluff; five times greater than Wellington. Auckland, and Waitara, three and a-half. times greater than Timaru, three times greater than Oama.ru, Wanganui and Patea, two and a-half times greater than New Plymouth, and double the Napier rates. If they would be allowed to say so, they could understand that a very small number cf years back, when the total export of sheep for Gisborne amounted to only 30,000’ carcases, that rates of wharfage were necessarily high, but in view of the abnormal increase in the exports for the port of both meat and wool during the last ten years, they had confidence that their request for a. considerably reduced rate would receive favorable consideration. The chairman said the rate was lid fo.r mutton and £d for lamb. If it bad not been for the money they received from the wharfage charges they would not be in such a good position as they were now. He was very glad the export of meat and wool had increased, because they would not have been able to cany on if the revenue had not increased. The improvements the Boa.rd were making were reducing the difficulties of exporters, and 1 the boats could go out and come in at all times. When they reduced the rate some time ago there was a resolution moved to adhere to the former rate. The Board had gone to a great deal of expense in improving the harbor, and as yet they were not getting much benefit from the Tauwhareparae endowment. He suggested that the letter should be held over until the end of the present year, when the estimates of expenditure and revenue was under consideration. He was quite .prepared to agree that the rate was much higher than other ports, but those ports were in a much more forward condition than Gisborne. They could not attempt to reduce the rate at present. There were several gentlemen on the Board who were deeply interested in wool and mutton, and he would ask them to support his proposal. Mr Lysnar: If it was not for wool and mutton we would go bankrupt. The chairman : We Avould. Mr Olark said lies thought the chairman’s suggestion was the only way out of the difficulty. When the. Tauwhareparae endowment was let they mignt see what they could do. Dr. Collins: Is it a fact that hundreds of carcases are shipped otherwise than through this Board to avoid the excessive rates charged l by the Board ? Mr 'Clark explained that Napier had a pull of Id per carcase over Wairoa when compared' with Gisborne. Dr. Collins: But is it a fact that a good many producers here ship or tranship at Napier to avoid the rates. Members : No! No ! Dr. Collins suggested that the matter should be referred to a committee to consider at the end of the year. The matter was then held over, . and will be considered at the end of the year.