HARBOUR PLANS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 115, 18 May 1933, Page 10

HARBOUR PLANS.

HAWKE'S BAY BATTLE. OBJECTIONS BY HASTINGS. BREAKWATER EXPENDITURE. Hawkc's Bay has its many worries, earthquake recovery, exchange' (which is common to all), bad business and low prices, and that old, old inner-outer harbour battle. So heavily is this battle fought, however, that it must have some considerable value as an antidote, perhaps counter-irritant, to other worries, states the "Post." It has broken out afresh, following the first meeting of the new Napier Harbour Board and the survey of the past year liy the chairman, Mr. Trevor Geddis. In the course of his statement the chairman recalled that following the report of Messrts. F. W. Furkert and D. Hoklerness as to future development of j the port the board had adopted a policy of proceeding with the immediate harbour works at the breakwater as outlined in the .report; to obtain Orders-in-Conncil and the consent of the Local Government Loans Boaul to transfer, under the powers of the Hawkc's Bay Earthquake Act, 11:: expended inner harbour loan moneys amounting to £71,000; and to obtain authority to raise £33.">,700 to carry out the remainder of the immediate programme recommended by Messrs. Furkert and HoklerneisS.

The chairman stated that the board had already made representations to the Prime Minister, the lit. Hon. G, W. Forbes, seeking the necessary authorities and the matter was before the Local Government Loans Board. "The proposed policy and programme of development," said the chairman, "can be carried through without any further increase of charges on ships, goods, or rates on land other than the addition of 1/ per ton on all cargo handled for a period of 41 years, after which it is proposed to revert to present wharfage charges, and I have no hesitation in repeating the opinion of the special committee which recommended along these lines that this small increase in port charges will be more than justified by prospective benefits, especially as the board is not now imposing rates upon land and does not intend doing so for the future." Opposed to Outer Harbour. Hastings, which as a town is heartily opposed to outer harbour expenditure on a big scale just now, was prompt in replying to the chairman's review and forecast, through the Chamber of Commerce, in the following resolution: —- "This chamber is in entire disagreement with the harbour construction

policy outlined by the chairman of the Harbour Board in his re-election statement. It also enters an emphatic protest against the board's endeavour to obtain authority to expend on work at the .breakwater the loan money which the ratepayers authorised to be raised for an entirely different purpose. The chamber strongly urges the Government to refuse/to permit the board either to transfer the balance of the loan money on hand or to raise new loans for expenditure on any major harbour schemes before the consent of the ratepayers has been obtained." The mover said that he was emphatically not in favour of the proposal to spend £300,000 or more on new constructional work. The time was not opportune for any work beyond the maintenance of facilities for coastwise shipping. Ordinary Port Facilities. The seconder of the motion said that ordinary business sense and prudence would lead anyone to support such a motion as had been proposed. Local bodies should not be encouraged, or even permitted, to embark upon major constructional schemes, especially where they were purely experimental and uncertain of their result's. Much money had been Spent on harbour works at Napier, and much of tiie expenditure if it had hot from the very beginning been futile, had now been rendered useless. Hawke's Bay depended upon the maintenance of ordinary • port facilities for the exportation of its products, and it would be foolish to hope for anything more than that. ■"*