PORT WORKS AT WANGANUI.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1026, 16 January 1911, Page 3

PORT WORKS AT WANGANUI.

,——» , ■ FINANCING NEW .OPERATIONS. V. i THE SPLENDID PROGRESS TO :' ' .DATE. • (By Telegraph.—Spccial CorrcGpocdent.) - Wanganui, January 11. At a meeting of the Wanganui Harbour Board last evening the chairman was | asked whether, in tho event of his reelection in April licit, he had any scheme for further works to put forward, and what his proposals were for raising tho i necessary money.

The chairman .(Mr. J. B. Murray), in V teply, stated that a new board would || soon be in office, and of course the pre- 1 > tent members could not pledge a future board to any course of action. As mat- jk ters stood at present tho board could % not raise any more money,. inasmuch as • all its securities were ! pledged, and to raise'more money it would fco necessary for it to secure rating powers. Personally, and not speaking for Hie rest of tbo hoard, he favoured proceeding with a larger works scheme, and securing rating powers to enable it to be carried out. At the same time, if the board were to raise another loan of, say, X 200,000, it might not be necessary to levy a rate,, or if a rato were struck it would probably be only a small one. The revenue of the board for 1910 was -£1700 more than had been the case for the previous year, and <£250 more than that for 1908. After providing for in'erest and sinking fund there remained a surplus of >64000, and such surplus would pay the interest and sinking fund on a new loan. Then, again, if tho board ' were to borrow ■£200,000. for further works, it would probably result in an increase of business, which of course meant an increase of revenue. Further, if this turned out to lie so, there might bo no necessity to collect the rate at all. Ho had objected ; very much to the stoppage of an . Empowering Bill by tho Upper llouso about 20 years ago, but the revenuo of the ' i boarfl' was very small then, and its business was small, and what had not been thought a good proposition at that time was a. very good business one now, considering tho great increase that had taken place in the.last 20 years. The increase . of business at tho port of Wanganui was ' shown by tho fact .that tho.wharfage collected last year amounted to .£10,0:13 12s. Is., as against ,£8386 7s. Bd. for 1909, and -£9787 3s.' lid. for 1908. The rent ' from reserves last year was ,£1277- Is. ' M. Tho Harbour Board's engineer last evening tabled an interesting plan show-, ing the effect of the south mole on tho ocean beach at the South Spit, and comparing the present low-water line with that of fifteen years ago. From tho plan it appeared that the works are having just tuo effect hoped for. In fact, if the present condition of the. Spit had been made to order it could not have been more satisfactory. Between the Laudguard Bluff and the entrance tho lowwater mark ontho ocean side has receded considerably, whii;h means a corresponding widening and strengthening of the Spit just at a weak point where it was most needed. .At the end of tho Spit i« the river entrance, however, tho reverse lias been the case. There the low-water mark is nearer to the mainland than formerly. Tho big low-tide sand . bank, whcli formerly blocked half the entrance, has completely disappeared. Members of (he board were much pleased with tho condition of things revealed by the plan.