HARBOUR PLANS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 11950, 22 May 1933, Page 3

HARBOUR PLANS

HAWKE'S BAY BATTLE

OBJECTIONS BY HASTINGS

BREAKAV.ATER EXBENDITURE.

Hawke’s Bay has its many .worries, exchange (which had business and low that old, old innorouterAJurbour battle. So. heavily is this oattlo fought, however, that it must have s°ine considerable value as an antidote, perhaps counter-irritant, to other worries states the '‘Evening Post."

It Ims broken out afresh, following the first meeting of the new. Napier Harbour Board and the survey of the past year by tbe chairman Mr. Trevor Gecldis.

'in the course of Ills statement the chairman recalled that following the report of Messrs. F. AA. ,Furkerfc and ]). Holdorncss as to future devo]opincnfc of the port the board had adopted a policy of proceeding with theimmediate harbour works at the breakwater as outlined" in the report; to obtain Ordcrs-in-Council and the consent of the Local Government Loans Board to transfer, under the powers of the Hawke s Bay Earthquake Act, unexpended inner harbour "loan moneys amounting to £71,0C0; and to obtain authority to raise £835,700 to carry out the remainder of the immediate programme recommended by Messrs. Furkcrfc and Holderness. The chairman stated that the hoard had already made -representations to tho Prime Minister, the Rt. lion. G. W. Forbes, seeking the necessary authorities and tile matter- was before the Local Government Loans Board. “The proposed policy and Programme of development.” said the chairman, “can be carried through without any further increase of charges on ships, goods, or rates on land other than the addition of Is per ten on all cargo handled for a period of 41 years, after which it is Proposed to revert to present wharfage charges, and I have no hesitation in repeating the opinion of the special c-oinmittce which recommended along these lines that this small increase in port charges will not lie heavy as the board' is not now imposing rales upon laud ami does not intend doing so for the future."

OPPOSED TO OUTER HARBOUR. Hastings, which as a town is hear, tily opposed to outer harbour expenditure on a big scale just now, was prompt in replying .to the chan man s review and forecast, through the Chamber of Commerce, in tbe following resolution: — ■‘‘This chamber is in entire disagreement with the harbour construction policy outlined by the chairman of the Harbour Board ni his re-election- statement.' It also enters an emphatic protest -against the board’s endeavour to obtain authority to expend on work at tm breakwater the loan money which the ratepayers authorised' to bo .raised for an entirely different purpose. The chamber strongly urges the Government to refuse to permit the hoard either to transfer the balance of the loan money on hand or to raise new loans for expenditure on any major harbour schemes before the consent of the ratepayers ling boon outainod.

• The mover said that lie "as emphatically not in favour of the proposal to spend £300,000 or m°re °n new ‘constructional work. r l ho time was not opportune for any nolle beyond the maintenance of facilities for coastwise shipping.

ORDINARY PORT FACILITIES. Tlio seconder of the motion said that ordinary business sense and prudence would load anjone to support such a motion as bad been proposed. Local bodies should not be encouraged, or even permitted, to embark upon major constructional schemes, especially where they were purely experimental and uncertain of their results. Much money had been spent on harbour works at Napier, and much of the expenditure if >t had not from the very beginning been futile, had now been -rendered useless. Hawke’s Bay depended upon the maintenance of, ordinary port facilities for the exportation of Ms products, and it would be foolish L 0 hope for anything more than that.