Presentation Made To Captain Deed Of The James Cook

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 14930, 18 March 1949, Page 2

Presentation Made To Captain Deed Of The James Cook

Appreciation Of Service

To Tauranga

Opening Of Timber Export Trade Through Port

“Presented to Captain A. W. Deed Master of the ‘James Cook,’ by the Tauranga Chamber of Commerce and the Tauranga Harbour Board ‘ as an appreciation of his efforts in pioneering the timber trade through the port of Tauranga.” This was the inscription borne by an attractively framed and tinted aerial picture of Tauranga which was officially presented to Captain Deed ' at a ceremony in the Tauranga Harbour Board offices on Tuesday. Present were the Hon. B. c Robbins, who made, the presentation, Mr F. W. Doidge, M.P., together with members representative of the Chamber of Commerce and the Harbour Board, the chairman of which, Mr J. D. Alach, presided at the gathering.

Mr-Alach spoke appreciatively of Captain Deed’s service to both the port and the town of Tauranga. He was the type of man, he said, always willing to render service, and the type of man who had made New Zealand and Australia what they were today. It was a good thought of the Chamber of Commerce in conceiving the gift of the picture, he added.

“My chamber felt that your efforts in instituting the timber trade for the town should not go unrecognised,” said Mr M. E. Dervan, president of the Tauranga Chamber of Commerce. “The fact that you have put Tauranga on the shipping map of . New Zealand deserves tangible appreciation,” he added. “On The Shipping Map” Mr Dervan expressed the hope that the venture was proving a financial success for the shipping company, and that the crew cf the James Cook had experienced an enjoyable sojourn in Tauranga. “The chamber and kindred bodies feel that Tauranga cannot be developed without industries,” Mr Dervan went on. ‘ He thought that the timber industry would prove beneficial to the district.

Mr F. W. Doidge, M.P., described the opening of the timber export industry by the means of the port as “the realisation of a dream,” His colleague, Mr Broadfoot, M.P., member for Waitomo, had the “audacity,” he said, to advocate New Plymouth as the principal timber port of the North Island. Mr Doidge disparaged the idea of New Plymouth being the main timber export centre, championing Tauranga as the logical outlet. To Captain Deed, Mr Doidge said: We feel you have helped us to our end. Ho added that the gift was, as we’l as a mark of appreciation, a personal tribute. “The people appreciate you not only as the master of a ship,” he said, “but as a friend.”

A member of the Chamber of Commerce, Mr F. N. Christian, remarked on the friendly atmosphere Captain Deed had brought with him. “I hope that yours and other ships will continue to come to the port and be as friendly—if that’s possible—as you have been,” he said. “I have worked with many vessels in Tauranga but I have never worked with a better skipper in mv life than Captain Deed,” said Mr B. P. Andrews cf the Northern Steamship Company. It depended on the first few trips into the harbour to determine whether the trade would go ahead. And it would, he added. Mr W. J. Walker, secretary of the Harbour Board, mentioned that the venture had been somewhat of a gamble, but that it had “come good,” largely as the result of Captain Deed’s efforts. Mr Walker said that the watersiders working the ship had done “a reasonably good job,” adding that he understood better conditions were in the offing.

In making the nresentation address. Hon. B. C. Robbins recaked the time when, as Mayor of Tau- : ranga, in 1914, the borough council was in charge of the wharf. It seemed to him then, he said, that there should be a harbour board, and that which nature destined the port to be —“one of the main deepsea harbours of New Zealand.” Proof of Great Future Mr Robbins expressed his thanks to Captain Deed for handling the ship so ably, and provmg that the Tauranga harbour was capable ot a great future in the timber export line. , „ Mr Robbins sounded a note ot warning - , however. “We are not the only port and harbour board wanting the timber trade. New Plymouth has its eye on it,” be said, “and they, being a tenacious people, we will have to be on tlic alert and light for it.” _ “I am speaking for the Harboui Board, the citizens of the town and district, when I say that this P lc *V is a token of their grand feeling toward you. I hope you will look at it and say, T helped put that port on the shipping map ot tne world.’ ” ~ , , 0 ,1 In reply Captain Deed said he.naa been overcome by the honour given him. In the course of his remarks ■ he said that there were a . rt up sceptics who said “don’t do it | tn . port!. But owing to the Auckland bottleneck and because there was timber available for export at l aU " ranga, he took one run up and clown the harbour and decided to woik

the port. The watersiclers handling tn James Cook were doing' a gra.no job. said Captain Deed. The » 01 couldn’t be losing, he remarked* There was a quick turn-around and there was nothing to preven ships three times the size or m. berthing there. It was though that after the first trin the wrote would “crash.” added Capta

D a ed, but it did not. His ship had come to Taurang. and other ships would come. OpP° T / tion was the spree of business, said that he could not have enter upon the project without the operation cf the Harbour officials. Captain Deed concluded bv say , • that the James Cook would P r ably return in about two mon • but the company’s other ship Matthew Flinders —might come o fore that for a timber consignment Captain Deed said he expected m leave with the James Cook fr Tauranga today (Friday). _