REF The Sydney Harbour 387.16/ Commissioners’ sixth report SYD being for the year ended 30th 4198 June, 1906. 4198 1906. LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY. NEW SOUTH WALES. THE SYDNEY HARBOUR TRUST COMMISSIONERS’ SIXTH REPORT, FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30th JUNE, 1906. Printed under No. 17 Report from Printing Committee, 8 November, 1906. SYDNEY: WILLIAM APPLEGATE GULLICK, GOVERNMENT PRINTER. 1906. 83024 *192—A. [2s.] SIXTH REPORT OF THE SYDNEY HARBOUR TRUST COMMISSIONERS, BEING FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30th JUNE, 1906. Sydney Harbour Trust, 5th September, 1906. THE Sydney Harbour Trust Commissioners have the honor to submit to the Honorable the Premier and Colonial Treasurer, for presentation to Parliament, the Commissioners’ Sixth Report for the year ended 30th June, 1906. FINANCIAL. The revenue for the year amounted to the sum of £271,150 6s. 11d., and was collected under the following heads:— £ s. d. Wharfage rates (including Harbour and tranship- ment rates) ... ... ... ... ... 143,926 13 9 Tonnage rates (including picnic, ferries, and berthing of small craft) ... ... ... ... ... 8,844 18 10 Leases and rentals of wharves, jetties, sheds, &c. ... 67,029 13 1 Business and residential premises, hotels, &c. (rentals) ... ... ... ... ... 40,428 8 3 License fees (tugs, lighters, &c.) ... ... ... 1,001 9 0 Services rendered (including bonds, model lodging- house, &c.) ... ... ... ... ... ... 9,167 2 7 Reclamations ... ... ... ... ... ... 30 0 0 Recoveries ... ... ... ... ... ... 260 19 10 Penalties ... ... ... ... ... ... 85 13 2 Sale of material ... ... ... ... ... 375 8 5 £271,150 6 11 Less Transfers and Refunds ... ... 461 11 1 Total ... ... ... ... £270,688 15 10 (A detail statement of these items will be found in Appendix P.) The 4 The revenue for the year under review exceeds that of the preceding year by the sum of £17,107 18s. 1d., and is the largest for any one year since the inception of the Trust. The figures of the previous corresponding periods were as follows:— £ s. d. 1901-2 ... ... ... ... ... 218,647 1 3 1902-3 ... ... ... ... ... 256,145 9 6 1903-4 ... ... ... ... ... 261,676 15 7 1904-5 ... ... ... ... ... 253,580 17 9 Notwithstanding this increase, however, the revenue received from deep-sea wharfage is still lower than the amount collected in the years 1901-2 and 1902-3. There is also a falling off of, approximately, the sum of £2,500 in Interstate wharfage collections attributable to the bringing of these rates into line with those chargeable on State products in conformity with the provisions of the Commonwealth Constitution Act. The lodgment of manifests in connection with the collection of State wharfage has rendered it possible for the first time to obtain some reliable figures in relation to our coastal trade. When it became necessary to impose uniform rates of wharfage on all goods arriving from State as well as Interstate ports, some estimate of the extent of our coastal trade was attempted in order that rates might be struck that, while not bearing too heavily on the State producer, would at the same time bring in a fair amount of revenue. Reliable figures relating to a few of the leading lines, such as coal and timber, were with some difficulty obtained, and estimates were made in other cases, with the result that the rates on the leading lines of produce were reduced so as to meet the urgent demands from State producers for low rates, while ensuring sufficient revenue from State products to make up for the consequent loss from the application of these reductions to Interstate imports. The revenue expenditure during the year amounted to the sum of £76,303 15s. 11d., distributed under the following heads:— £ s. d. Dredging ... ... ... ... ... ... 19,289 9 3 Maintenance of wharves and other properties ... 14,052 7 5 Lighting of wharves and approaches ... ... 2,975 5 11 Rates and taxes ... ... ... ... ... 5,376 18 6 Fire insurance ... ... ... ... ... ... 1,768 8 10 Salaries ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 14,056 15 0 Watching ... ... ... ... ... ... 857 1 10 Collection of wharfages and supervision of wharves 4,584 18 7 Control of port ... ... ... ... ... 1,217 7 5 Survey of port ... ... ... ... ... ... 337 12 11 Prevention of fire among shipping ... ... ... 228 14 2 Other expenditure ... ... ... ... ... 11,558 16 1 Total ... ... ... ... £76,303 15 11 (for detail statement see Appendix R), and in addition to this amount the sum of £4,000 for the salaries of the Commissioners brings the total chargeable as the working expenses of the Trust up to £80,303 15s. 11d. The amount of the Vote granted for these purposes—excluding the Commissioners’ salaries—was £78,360; the expenditure, therefore, has been kept well within bounds, and a saving of £2,056 effected. After deducting expenses, £80,303 15s. 11d., from the amount of revenue collected, £270,688 15s. 10d., there remains a balance of the sum of £190,384 19s. 11d., which will not only meet interest for the year, but will provide for the payment of the sum of £9,711 6s. 11d. to the credit of the Sinking Fund. The 5 The Loan Expenditure for the year amounted to the sum of £38,878 16s. 6d., made up of the following items:— £ s. d. New railway grain-jetty, Pyrmont ... ... ... 15,374 15 2 Howard Smith’s sheds, &c. ... ... ... ... 4,121 0 5 New road, Day-street ... ... ... ... ... 5,501 6 5 Tyser’s wharf ... ... ... ... ... ... 2,339 16 10 Wood-blocking, Circular Quay ... ... ... 1,614 8 5 Kent-street, No. 87 ... ... ... ... ... 1,455 7 7 Kent-street, Nos. 271-77 ... ... ... ... 132 3 0 N.S.W. Fresh Food and Ice Company’s wharf ... 1,488 5 1 Sussex-street (widening of) ... ... ... ... 948 1 8 Walker’s Wharf ... ... ... ... ... 209 12 6 Grafton Wharf ... ... ... ... ... ... 542 14 4 Central Wharf ... ... ... ... ... 510 16 6 Grafton Wharf reclamation ... ... ... ... 255 16 5 Union S.S. Company’sWhar . f ... ... ... 130 9 0 Pyrmont Bridge Whar...f ... ... ... ... 474 10 4 Pyrmont Bridge reclamation and shed ... ... 230 11 5 Monier facing, Nicoll’s and Jones’ Wharves, &c ... 368 10 6 Double-decked grain-shed, Birt & Co., Ltd. ... 239 1 3 Darling Island improvements ... ... ... 178 13 2 Argyle-street shops ... ... ... ... ... 159 15 6 Erskine-street, Nos. 8-12 ... ... ... 275 3 1 Erskine-street, Nos. 26-32 ... ... ... ... 456 15 9 Federal stores ... ... ... ... ... ... 802 0 0 Merriman-street (widening of) ... ... ... 258 16 5 Low-level sewerage ... ... ... ... ... 198 3 3 All other works ... ... ... ... ... 612 2 6 Total ... ... ... ... ... ... £38,878 16 6 Other works have been carried out by the Trust’s officers for the Railway Commissioners, namely:— £ s. d. Foundations for sheds on new grain jetty at Pyrmont 8,000 0 0 Filling in site of old Pyrmont Bridge ... ... 447 12 8 Eepairs to eastern coal jetty, Pyrmont ... ... 529 6 7 Repairs to western coal jetty, Pyrmont ... ... 110 18 10 These amounts were duly recouped to the Trust’s Advance Account out of the Votes of the Railway Commissioners. REVENUE UNCOLLECTED. The balances of accounts due to the Trust outstanding on the 30th June, 1906, amounted to £18,231 7s. 3d., made up as follows :— £ s. d. Commonwealth Government rent account ... ... 7,895 17 10 State Government rent account ... ... ... 460 13 2 Tenants’ rent and lease accounts, and sundries’ ... 7,036 18 5 Tonnage and miscellaneous charges accounts ... 2,236 18 4 Federal and Parbury’s bond accounts] ... ... 600 19 6 Total ... ... ... ... ... ... £18,231 7 3 The 6 The greater portion of the Commonwealth accounts represent accrued rents, accumulated since 11th Februray, 1901, in respect of properties which are proposed to be transferred to the Federal Government. Tenants’ rent accounts, &c., include various accounts which have been standing in abeyance for some time owing to settlement not yet having been arrived at in connection with claims for compensation; while in two other matters litigation is pending; and when these shall have been settled the outstandings will be reduced materially. The tonnage and miscellaneous charges also include many items for berthing alongside other vessels berthed at a wharf, wharfage charges on railway material, &c., all of which are standing over pending legal decisions as to the validity of the Commissioners’ claims. The equity of levying wharfage charges on goods, the property of His Majesty’s Government, has not yet been recognised by enactment. Under the old Wharfage and Tonnage Rates Act, as administered prior to the creation of the Trust, these charges were levied and paid as a matter of course, but while revenue received from Government Departments is not revenue in the same sense as that collected from the public, it must be borne in mind that the financial position of the Trust cannot be fairly presented until it be placed in the same position as other Government Departments which demand payment for all services rendered by them, whether to the public, or to each other. CAPITAL DEBT. The Capital Debt of the Trust at 30th June, 1906, stood at £5,155,288 10s. 11d. (sec Appendix V), and the interest on that sum for the year, calculated at the rate of 3.51 per cent., amounted to £180,950 12s. 6d. BERTHING FACILITIES AND WHARF ACCOMMODATION. The prosperity enjoyed by the State during the past twelve months has not been without its effect on the business of the port, the marked increase in primary production calling for additional berthing accommodation and shed space. Many of the wharves within the resumed area are not only very old and very short, but are at present quite unsuitable in every way for the accommodation of modern deep-sea vessels. Generally speaking, these wharves were constructed in such a manner as to preclude their incor- poration in any scheme of re-construction, and there remains to the Commissioners, in many cases, no other alternative but to pull up these structures and erect in their stead accommodation more in keeping with the size and importance of the vessels now coming into the harbour.