WESTPORT’S CLAIMS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 280, 23 August 1944, Page 6

WESTPORT’S CLAIMS

All-Weather Harbour (By Telegraph.—Press .Association.) WESTPORT, August 21. Commenting on the decision of the Wanganui Harbour Board to support Greymoutb in its request for an allweather harbour on the West Coast, Mr. ,T. C. Brown, president: of the Buller Progress League, and formerly district manager for. the Westport Coal Company’s mines, said there should not be the slightest difficulty in founding at Westport an all-weather harbour, on which the naval authorities had proposed to expend largo sums just, before the 1914-18 war ended, when the Navy was working for a naval coaling base on this coast. The introduction of oil in place of coal in the Navy, and strong demands for disarmament, had upset the plans, but in view of the expected great trade expansion in the Pacific after the present war the need for the developing of Westport was more insistent that) ever. The large volume of water in the Buller River, the protection afforded by the projecting Cape Eoulwind and the Steeples, and the incalculable fields of coal in the Buller over all. in Mr. Brown’s opinion, support the plans for improvement on a large scale. It was further staled by Mr. Brown that when recently the Greymoutb harbour was in had state, coal from Grc.vnmulh was railed to Westport and thence shipped to the various markets, and that if Westport harbour were developed this could be done on an ever-increasing scale, specially so if the Government expended on the Westport, harbour such revenues which it took over when if. took control of the Westport harbour endowments'. Mr. T. F. Shaw, electrician, suggested a new principle of lifting by electric power the sand drift on the west side of the river, and, through flexible pipes, bv-pnssing the river, ’that, he said, might also be applied to Greymouth to overcome its bar troubles.