H.—ls A.

(15) Essential Works in Progress or contemplated. The following schedule sets forth the various items which require to be undertaken at both the Inner and Outer Harbours in order to bring the port into a state of reasonable efficiency :— Schedule of Works : Inner and Outer Harbours, &c. (16) Inner Harbour. (a) Eastern mole (in progress) .. .. £14,084 (payable out of loan). (b) Western mole (contemplated) .. .. 8,500 (payable out of loan). (e) West Quay (in progress) .. .. 15,300 (presumably out of loan). (d) J.D.O. dredge boiler (contemplated) .. 1,000 (proportion only). £38,884 (If first two items in concrete add £14,873, making £53,757.) (17) Outer Harbour. (e) Breakwater apron (contemplated) .. .. .. £1,500 * (/) Railway material (contemplated 1 * .. .. .. 595 (g) E shed—addition, 70 ft. (contemplated) i.. .. .. 1,250 (h) Electric runway (contemplated) .. .. .. 400 (d) J.D.O. dredge boiler (proportion only) .. .. .. 1,500 £5,245 (Inner Harbour—above) .. .. .. .. .. 38,884 Total expenditure required to secure efficiency .. .. £44,129 (18) Works in Progress. Works in progess include (a) the contract for repairing and extending by 120 ft. the eastern mole at the Inner Harbour. Contract price plus engineering expenses is, if in stone, £14,084 ; if in concrete, £23,957. The other work in progress is (c) West Quay reconstruction: this is nominally being paid for out of revenue, but as the estimated receipts for the year ending 30th September, 1927, will probably fall short of the estimated expenditure by £930, the work which is being done on West Quay will probably have to be paid out of overdraft, and may have to be recouped eventually from loan-money. (19) Works oomtemplated. These works (b, d, e,f, g, and h) are set forth in the foregoing schedule, and it is to be noted that the expenditure of £1,500 (e) for concrete blocks for the breakwater is urgently required, whilst another item that might be described as an urgent call is (d) for a new boiler for the J.D.O. dredge, estimated to cost about £2,500. In addition to these two items, it will be necessary to provide a certain amount of railway material, principally rails and sleepers, (/) £595, and to make an addition of 70 ft. to the E sorting-shed, estimated to cost (g) £1,250, together with an electric runway in the shed (h) £400. When these works at the Inner and Outer Harbour and on the railway have been carried out, together with the provision of a new boiler for the J.D.O. dredge, the harbour-works will have been brought into a reasonable state of working efficiency, and the subsequent maintenance charges should be materially reduced. (20) Glasgow Wharf. Repairs and reinstatements to this wharf have been in progress for some time. The Resident Engineer, Mr. George Huntley, reported to the Board on the Ist September, 1924, that the cost of repairing the timberwork of the Glasgow and Breakwater Wharves would amount to £5,848, and stated that if the repairs outlined by him were carried out it should not be necessary to spend more on the maintenance of these wharves for a number of years. These repairs have been in progress for some time, and the Glasgow Wharf is now in much better condition that it has been; but according to the evidence of Mr. J. P. Kenny, the Secretary, a further sum of £3,000 per annum requires to be expended for the next three years before the wharf can be said to be in a really good condition. It is proposed to carry on this'"work, the cost of same being paid for out of the revenue. (21) Revenue and Expenditure. The following is a synopsis of revenue and expenditure (including depreciation) for the undernoted periods. The two last are of course, estimates, that for the twelve months ending the 30th September, 1927, being practically accurate, as the actual figures were available up to 31st July : —

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Revenue. Expenditure. Deficit. £ £ £ Nine months to 30tli September, 1926 .. .. 74,539 82,627 8,088 Twelve months to 30th September, 1927 ,. ... 97,251 98,201 950 Surplus Twelve months to 30th September, 1928 .. .. 104,058 95,783 8,275