PUBLIC OPINION

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LIV, Issue 9162, 20 April 1926, Page 2

PUBLIC OPINION

. HARBOUR BOARD POLK V. To the Editor. | Sir. Mr Tally inis hit the crux >fme | while argument nhen he says that 1 Itvight charges also 1 ncveascd *ll,s the ir* I -nli'el the collapse m the East Coum | Snipping Company. 01 which -Mr Abu - - 1 Indian was at Urn head. ITcight eharg.: did luviva*!' .Tout 100 per cent.; win n the Company ..eased 10 operate. ; foi- (, , mpanv. in reduced ireight ■ cliages. was paying to the shippers in ; the Hay oi Plenty ever 100 per tent, i per annum. That is to -ay. the annual | -aviie ill fr.icht, was more than the ; nhole capita! of the Company, and yet. | in the 1 la, e ol ~ einpe tit leu , aiul the eel- | tain know ledge that if the C.-mpany | i collapsed, the freights would lie increased. Mttlieioni siippoit to ktep the: , Company'.s hoats running wa- nut; lorl booming. I <0 .Mr I/ ’ I ly, and others of In- kiiL : nev. who wore not -iiaivlmhlet>, lost a public utility that was of inestimable : value to them. It is impossible to csI innate the. value a tit 1 lily is to a man ■ vv ho invests nothing in it. and yet oblalns poenniary advantage troll! it. the Tt i’n ire Ihiiry Company 1, si a utility i that their own directors variously esll--1 mated a- retiming from lobO to 2000 : per vom per annmn on their invest. ment.. Why was this .oncuccnl puhj lie utility allow ed to v ease operating, ! vv lien 10 unis more frciglit per week, | would have kept- it going? | An analysis of the Company's ae- | counts shows that. 00 per com. cl us cargo was obtained liom lauranga, 17V per cent, from .M.rcnry Buy, and 2.TV per cent, ir>mi To Puke and Alalata. Tile Company collapse 1 in spite ol the individual eilorts of every 1 tinner in the Tauranga County, because ol the utter inability ol the three trading companies that arc the principal shippers to Te Puke to give it a larger percentage, of their freights. W itil Lems m

their eyes, the directorates of two of them assured me that it they made a move towards mure freight, they would be met. with reprisals elsewhere. Here

is where a man in control of the public's money sits up and thinks.

The cum 111m:<>n 1 have come to is that | bet re investing the public's money in I a public utility again. I shall want pretty substantial guarantees that the at lily will be supported. for that reason J insist upon proper agreements with those wanting a deep sea wharf as a public utility. When the Mast Coast Shipping Company was faced with a cut in. freights.

j 1 obtained guarantees of freight under | a hand, from all s mrces possible, and 1 a-ked for a mandate from the share- ; holders. Tl'.e.-e freight guarantors were | absolutely loyal, even in the face of i competition, where they could tempor- | arily obtain a lower freight. The collapse of the Company was ! brought about by those who, although | very willing to assist, were unable to ! -ign a guarantee. Can .Mr Tally give an assurance that

flic principal freighters controlling per.

baps 7~> per cent, of the freight into. To Puke, will sign a guarantee, under a irenally. to become direct importers, whatever the freight and insurance

charges into Tauranga may he, and whatever the freight charges from Auckland may he, cither hv sea or

• btmlr Tnless lie can do that, and 1111- ! less the iiarhonr Board can obtain i these undertakings, they are simply

| speculating: with the people's money. M hen .Mr Lully can produce these j undertakings, lie will find that the only ! hu-al objection. to the proposal to erect lan over-soa.s wharf at the Mount, is | I hat it should lie in more lasting mat. | erial than wood : in fact that tho Harbour Board should not <lopart from the loan proposals, which Mr Lally so ardently supported, and should erect their .Mount wharf on the solid tide deflector. which wa.s such a prominent feature in tire p>l icy of the Hoard at that | I into.

j Mr Lully’s statement that I and my | party want to dredge a channel up to | Tnnrnnga. so as to saddle the ratepay. ers, with a. rale, is Mime more of liis nonsense. Our persistent efforts to ohiaiu reductions in harbour dues proves that.

j Had MV Lally and bis party accopt- | <’d the Town and Victoria, wharves at ! the price the Borough Council offered I them to the Harbour Board, instead of demanding a commission, which made them, pay Cif.dOO more, there would have hcen no dredging at all. j Mr Lally astonishes one when he savs j you cannot get lime carried free on the : railway in this district, for even half a. j mile. He has seen the correspondence, j and he knows that the! charge, made is | lor wharfage and handling charges at 1 the Mount. The railage is free on I him, that has not already benefited hv Loo railage . else who re. In order to ; test tills, let some genuine fanner have

a lew tons landed on the Tanraiiga, wharf, and taken out by train to To Pnke.--T am. cte., CHAR. E. MAHMTLLAX. Tauranga, April 17th. 192 H.

INSTALLING A METER. (To t»!c- Editor.! Sir. - I notice from your issue of the 17th that comment was made at a meeting of the Borough Council on a private note which I had addressed to the Mayer. I quite accept, as having been made in good faith, Cr. Smith’s statement that no separate instiactions had been issued to the Council's offi -ers regarding the installation of an electric meter in my house, but the fact remains that within a fortnight of the termination of my appointment as borough engin ee r, 1 was a[3pro ach c d by an officer of the Council regarding the installation of meters in my houm. I replied that I proposed to erect a new meter hoard—which

Hon t, igiu.re, soreness of (ho throat fullness ot Ihe <nvs sneezing miming at 1 fie nose -as they generally indicate grnm infection hut Use N;,z A imim-d-. iaiciy and irm ly and you h ill get relief, K