Evening Post. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1908. DEVELOPMENT OF THE PORT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 27, 1 February 1908, Page 4

Evening Post.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1908. DEVELOPMENT OF THE PORT.

In liis private capacity the Hon. T. K. Macdonald has never shown any lack of faith in tho future of Wellington, and it was not to bo expected that he would sing small about it as chairman of the Harbour Board. In the review of the position which he gdvo at tho board's meeting on Thursday afternoon he drew a glowing picture both of the past development of tho port and of the progress which may be expected in the near future, enumerated the various important Trorhs that aro already in hand, or should, in his opinion, be immediately undertaken, and drew the conclusion that Parliament should be asked next session to uuthorise the raising by the board of a loan of a million for necessary harbour works. This is certainly what is colloquially described as a "large order," and the note of caution with which, it was greeted by spveral members of the board at Thursday's meeting is a very proper one. But J it seems to us that the disposition to discount tho chairman's views as those of a sanguine man who does not know j what he is talking about, is a mistaken | one. The enormous progress which the port of Wellington has made during the last twenty years is nofc a matter for conjecture, but is mathematically demonstrated by the unassailable' schedules of figures which were arrayed in tha secretary's annual report published a few days ago. There is not the slightest ground for supposing that the rate of progress is likely to be slackened in the years that lie immediately ahead. On the confcraiy, the opening up of the North Island by the completion of the I Main Trunk Railway, oven if it does not realise all that i 3 depicted by Mr. MacdonaloTs imagination, at any rate I promises a considerable increase of trade | in which this port will at leasi get a fair share. But for the most part the chairman's forecast rests upon a statistical basis which wo believe to be unimpeachable. Even whero tlie figures go beyond the secretary's report, they appsar to bo entitled to almost equal authority with those there recorded. Jn replying to tho criticisms of his colleagues on the board, Mr. Macdonald stated that his remarks were the outcome of a request which he made to the secretary for an exact statement of the position. He was accordingly able to claim that the | figures had the approval of Mr. Ferguson himself, and though this does not fix Mr. Ferguson with the responsibility for the superstructure, it certainly means that the chairman's contentions are not to be so hoavily discounted or so lightly brushed aside as some people have supposed. There are doubtless some points iv Mr. Macdonald's programme which the secretary would condemn. The Evans Bay reclamation, for instance, on which Mr. Ferguson commented unfavourably in his report, and apparently before the full extent of tho excessive demands of some of the landowners was known, is in the chairman's list. A close scrutiny will probably reveal other items which may reasonably be rejected or postponed. But it is perfectly clear that immediate provision must be made for a considerable number of works which are admitted to bo necessary, and the sooner the list is definitely settled and the whole problem faced the better. It has already been officially stated by tho secretary that more revenue is needed, and this question also must bo dealt with before any new loan is floated. The spirit of enterprise must of course bo tempered by a spirit of caution if the business is to be satisfactorily transacted, and the electors will do well in casting their votes at the election of the new board to remember that the task that awaits it is one of unusual eravity.