NAPIER HARBOUR.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 410, 20 January 1909, Page 9

NAPIER HARBOUR.

:cpiyipi,ET!PN,ipF;THE; BREAKWATER, /; ; J; /.^/./A;PRQPQSii]P;LOAN./ V^Z '/ '.'■ : -j-i) (DYjTELEQEArH— PEISSS. ASSOCJATIOIJ,) : J- /."". -/.-'' ".' r .' V.-r ; /: r / ; / : './ Napier," January/ 19,;;,: ; /Addressing, ; a meeting pf ./-latepayers' -tor day.on. tlfe subject of 'the proposed loan.oi , $^0,000- to/poniplete•.the /breakwater \km hour, chairman of the. Napier.; Harbour, Board'V(Mr;','J ; Vigor: Brown, 'Mj>.) said: .'this'matter; had/been, before the public .for a c'pnsiderable tinio.,:--About eighteen months; ago'; a been passed through/ Parjia-: 'inent board, power;to: borrow the: 'sum, named,;- wjtb',' of .course, the consent of; :the ratepayers, r; For. .variqus reaspns'; principally? financial pnes, ; the, propp§a.l.had/ not

beeji -put:■ before.--'the: public until,^o w -. , Ths .ijioney' '■market/ had 'been fairly ;, tight, /andsome'members had thought 'if adyisable- tp delay ; tnattera' until .',the / present timp,. : . the nipney mark'et'vbeirig now , fairly favourable," It was now-.proposedjwithtbe oo'nsenivof- the' ratepayers,-'to'offer the-loan for'-appljcatibjii. A statement'had;been pf= the Hawke's..Bay.. Qpunty Conucil-ion ?the' preyipus.'dijy'to the 'effect"■■'thatsu/floient-jh-';

s I'prma'tion had.not.-beeiiiaid before' tlie' rafe- -■ .payerg..: The gentleman who had* made !tljat' p.;statement seemetU , -/tbi t haive'-fprgpttoiv ; that- a 1 b '-ypar 4-painphlet l ' , : ;■ giving/full'particulars,^ and had/sent a copy' , I' to .overy: ratepayer, pn./.the/rpll. at tliat : tjme,< -• : ; abp"ut':soop..:.'- : !.-Tljat '-paniphlet,/cpntaine:d;-the-j cliairlnan's'.Btateinont for'-'ioos, :: oertifi'ed bal- :v -i ;ance-sheet for 1905, .Mr , ."; T-. -W. ! 'Marcjiant's' . report andpJaiVj'.and-manyptlier particulars. ./ .It"also cpnfainpcl'the.nauticarpommissiohers-> . repprt, : : 'signal.; by..-' Gaptaiiis .Rose/'Babptj-' [ I)avidson, Cameron, and Tpdd, in- which/if .■ 'was ;■ stated that/- when" the. proposed- irorks" |. 'were qpnvpleied the po'rt would' haye thp ; best-' - ifi P!?l ■Austraja'eian'cblbn'iei/-- • The nautical/eom'iiiissioners-were all in favour' j- of; the broakwator work being/continued. The ■ ;. board's 'financial position .was■ much" better. ; now than It had b'eeii imp'rpving : ;eV«ryyear for time past. Xast [ yeartlie/reyenue had/been £6300 mpre'than i in 1907, .which up til) then had been a record .; year.. //If.the/'/loan, were carried/the financial . position of :the board w'ould'be a very strong , '■ oso./. Last, year £19,000 had been pai'd out pf .ordinary/, revenue,, 'which .would have' been' , chargpable' to .loan-account had bne : «xistedj': and: yet the overdraft'- had only b'een in- ; greased by £3000. If they/had tppay 'S-psr cent, would'amount : to felp.OOO per annum,: but ;he did not think they would have.to pay. so much. -For- instance, jn July last, when th ? .marked was ,by, jj fl '. means' so faTourable. asnpff, a/Tasmanian loaq. had floated/.:.at' //3i:'• .per , ■ r cent.,- '■ ?nd was •; subscribed'/■: at/■". £98 10s; //' It "■ was' anticipated increase ■ intpo revenue from shipping would ; be : " : £2QO"o,' and/it would be inuch more when the~hrbakwater ;wai:completed.'/ The reyenue v wpu]d continue;',to increase; from 'other spurpes. v As land;'.'in :th6/district was cut up, commerce would .grow./"in 'bulk,'- ?nd the taking over 'of thellanawatu' railway by thp . Government would/.keep; i> go'pd .(leal the trade 'thai/ :npw/Vent to. Wellington. was also, pro-. posed, /if :the/lpan were/ carried, 1 to p'yt' a further, charge of 3d./per ton: pn ;i air goods entering ; and; leaving the' port, which' wae , ..estimated -./to. prpducp about 7 £2300: .' Taking :»11:these -amounts;- aiid adding theiji together; thp total; would be more thaij'' tp/ .pay interest;' ; If ther'lpan/were ; . cpuld;giye his assurance that not/only wduld 1 a :iie]r rate 'be but the present rate/ would-be halved, this year, and next: year/it would, be wiped out altogether.' Pro'ni :the', figures, no;other/conp]usion opuld' he arriypd at. l //That was a very sa'tisfaptpry /position for-the board . ajid' for the ratepayers, j. It was' oleair that the fari mers 'and -country'..settlers', had' paid.'their : part 'of the , burden in tlje; way of. without receiying ./much -benefit in returli, '\'&' cause th'ey had to pay the cost of lighte'ragp for their'produce. The othpr./day' : a. wop! ./ship had/berthed .'at; BreakwutPr an 4' had taken.' away . 639. bale's of ■ wool'. The captain of the vessel had stated' thaj; a'sliijj ,50ft. longer. than his. coujd lie .cpmfbrtatjjy alongside' the wharf. The light'erag'p- of lpjdf/a bale had been.savgd.pn.that wool, , and as about, 35,000 bales-.werp exported, 'thp full total saving; to farmers would amount, .to; several thousands, of ..pounds;./That showed 'the immediate;' , benefit.that would be dbriypd •if ships pquld, use tho, wharf. ■ To leave the! .b'reakiyater; uncompleted would be like builds ing/a house withpiit a /roof./ The full ror venue .which- was expected from it could noi bp.obtained lin'til' it. was/finished. He did not see any reason/ why evory /ratepayer, should not ytito, for - apd/support, the Tonn'. to-tho utmost, as/all would bo benonted.' The-rates)" as/ho had , explained, would at; first be re, duced,..and thon.don'o.;away with altogether. .Thp' Ji'pnrd-also:'looked forward■ to 'a largo incre.iGo in the revenue from rents; In fi.pt, Ihe believed'/ thnt in;.' ten /or flJFteen yoars" tho board l would' not -know what to w'th ■their/money, and/that then, or' shortly' nf-" i-.ter'wards,- Nspier'would becptnp 'an absolutely i.free port,, y/ ■ ' .': .-''-.: '' ■ //: ■•■'.- '■ ... Meetings, of 'ratepayers were jield to-day tfl «>"»>»*'tho .board's proposal /to borrow £200,000. for cpmjplption of . the 7 breakwater h»rbour. Amotipn w»s submitted in favour of a'poll; being t»keh 'on the proposal. At the Napier meeting, which was'attended by about forty- person t, the rnotipn w»s pwried with one diseentient, At eoine , of the' cpun-" try; meetings feeling was dißclosfd against tho board being, granted further'' rating' powers./:;, '/■■■ ; //■- ''':;.//■•■ :/"-.'//•■ ■'•"■' ■■ / V/alpavya, January' 19. : . , Ata.meoting-of ratepayers tp. consider the loan proposals of the Napjer Harbour Board.the following amendment was carried unanimously ;-:"That the loan proposals avp not satisfactory,, and it is not desirable to give further '-rating/- power to tho Napier Harbour Board."