PROGRESS LEAGUE

Grey River Argus, 21 June 1944, Page 4

PROGRESS LEAGUE

Formed at Greymouth

MR. W. D. TAYLOR FIRST PRESIDENT.

There were over sixty persons present at the Lyceum Hall, Greymouth, last evening, when, on the motion o Mr. J M. Bunt, it was decided to form a Westland District Progress League, and on the motion of Mr. W. E. J. Steer, it was decided to adopt as the constitution and rules of the League, those drawn up by a commitatee appointed at a previous meeting. The Mayor, Mr. F. A. Kitchingham, Who presided, said that a sub-commit-tee had been set up to go into tne matter of the district in which the League was to operate and to prepare its constitution. This committee had done a good job and had brought forward the proposed constitution in 36 clauses.

AIMS OF LEAGUE. The constitution winch was then read, stated: That the League shall be called the Westland District Progress League (Incorporated) witn headquarters in Greymouth. It shall be an entirely non-party organisation to promote and assist any movement for the advancement pf the area of the League’s operations, whicn are the Boroughs of Greymout'h, Runanga and Brunner, the Grey County plus the territory up to the Reefton Saddle and out to Punakaiki, and other parts of the provinces of Westland and Nelson as decided upon by the League. It shall by united public action assist in the matters of harbours, railways, roads, air services and facilities and other means of transport; in the development of shipping, commercial- or general business facilities; in the promotion or extension of the industrial or farming interests of the area generally, with particular reference to sawmilling and mining and related industries; in the encouragement oi education, including the establishment or Youth and Community Centres; in the extension generally—and especially to country areas—of the hydro-eiectric scheme; in the provision, improvement and extension of parks, sports grounds and scenic reserves and in the provision of town planning schemes; in the advertisement within New Zealand or abroad of the advantages of the West Coast as a field for farming, industrial and business activity; in making more widely known the attractions of the West Coast to tourists, anglers and sportsmen generally; in collecting and publishing reliable up-to-date information of the industries, trade and commerce exports, imports, farming, modes of investment, climate, health, cost of living, natural conditions, markets, holiday and pleasure resorts, sport and general facilities in tne League’s area; ;in promotion or furtherance of schemes designed to alleviate the shortage of housing in the area and rehabilitation in all directions; generally, in whatever direction the League may decide to taka action for the advancement of the area. Tne membership of the League shall comprise individuals residing m the area, wnose subscription would 5s annually, persons in business, ail local and public authorities within the area and societies, clubs, associations and trade and industrial organisations, though no body with any political object would be eligible for membership. The subscription for business firms would be from £1 Is to £3 3s, according to the number of employees, while the association members would pay a maximum of 10s 6d. The patron of the League shall be the Member of Parliament for the time being. The Executive Committee shall comprise the President, the Vice-Presid-ent, the immediate Past President, and three members of the League appointed at its annual meeting. The Executive shall decide how many subcommittees of the League are to op* I erate for the ensuing year and shall 'allocate to such committees such number of members of the League as they think advisable. A chairman shall be appointed to each committee and he shall become a member of the Council. The general business of the League shall be conducted by the Council which will comprise the Executive and all chairmen. The'first annual meeting of the League shall be held in October. 1945, when new officers shall be elected, and on every subsequent October, while an ordinary meeting of the League is to he held every three months. The funds of the League shall be applied solely in the promotion of objects of the League, the Council of which may, from, time to time, at its own discretion, raise or borrow or secure the payment of any sums of money for the purpose of the League and may give such securities as it thinks fit. ELECTION OF OFFICERS.

The election of officers took Dlace as follows: —President, Mr. W. D. Taylor (Messrs Steer and E. W. Kennedy) ; Vice-President. Mr. J. M. Bunt (Messrs A. Mosley and Taylor); Executive, Messrs T. Pratt, J. Saunders, J. B. Bluett. (There were seven nominations) ; Auditor, Mr. W, R. Miltier. The Mayor congratulated Mr, Taylor on his election, and said that the League was fortunate to secure the services of such a man. Mr. Tavlor said that it should not be thought that the League was going to provide a new firmament. It would not. The only wav in which it could succeced in its efforts was for all residents to get behind it and give it their full support. Every citizen should set about and take advantage of th e natural resources of the province. DEEP SEA HARBOUR.

A lengthy discussion took place on the provision of a deep-sea narboui on the West Coast. . Mr. Bunt said that quite a number of those who had sponsored the League had done so in the hope that it would be an organisation whicn would bring public opinion to bear on the necessity for the provision of improved harbour facilities in the. town. He was one of those and he considered that it was imperative that a deepsea harbour be established at some central position of the province. He moved, therefore, “that in view of the increasing demand for products of this district, especially timber and coal, from all parts of New Zealand, most of which it was necessary to send by sea. and the hold-ups of shipping m the port, the only permanent solution to which was a deep-sea harbour, the Government, be requested to select, in collaboration with the people of Westland, some site for sucn a harbour, and that the work of construction be a rehabilitation. measure.” Mr. Bunt pointed out that as far back as 1908 the Government had been impressed with the need for improved harbour facilities on the West Coast, and a report had been made bv the Admiralty on the suitability of a deep-sea port at Point Elizabeth. Time lost, bv vessels working the port -in a year was probably more than £60,000. That sum would pay the interest on a loan to provide a deep-sea harbour. There were only two th’ngs to be done to improve the position. One was to extend the breakwater and the other was a deepsea harbour. The Admiralty report i in 1913 condemned further extension

of the breakwaters, and claimed that Point Elizabeth was the only place meriting attention as far as another port site was concerned. He was not an advocate of the site at Point Elizabeth. but believed that some central position must be chosen. He looked forward to the next twenty years, when the population of the entire Dominion would be doubled and hoped that if there was a decent port available on the West Coast, it would receive its proportion of the general advancement.

Mr. J. Mulcare suggested that a motion supporting t'-ie Grey Harbour Board be passed as the Board had already taken the steps advocated bv Mr. Bunt.

■Mr. R. McTaggart seconded the motion of Mr. Bunt, which was subsequently carried. Mr. Bluett suggested that the League secure the co-operation of shipping companies who were losing so heavily and obtain financial support. Mr. Pratt suggested that the League Executive be requested to obtain an endorsement by all local bodies and authorities, trades and similar or-, ganisations in the district of the motion just carried, and that copies of tlie motion and its endorsement ue sent to the Prime l Minister, the Minister of Finance, the Leader of the Opposition, and Hons. J. O’Brien, P C. Webhl and C. F. Skinner, in their capacities as members for the district, and in their capacities as Ministers of Marine, Mines and Labour, and Rehabilitation, respectively..

Mr. Millier seconded the motion, which was also carried.

Mr. Bunt then moved that the Greymouth Harbour Board be requested to assemble all reports, plans and maps, etc., available dealing with the Point Elizabeth deep-sea harbour andl hand them to the Engineer, asking him to report on the scheme from an engineering point of view, and have his findings published. Mr. Mosley seconded the motion

A number of speakers objected to what they termed th? dictatorial manner that was adopted in connection with the Harbour Board, whose rights they were usurping, but an amendment moved bv Mr. M. R. Aldridge, couched in milder terms, ana asking for the co-operation of the Board was defeated on a show of hands, only twenty voting in its favour.

An amendment subseauentlv moved biz Mr. Taylor, that the Grey Harbour Board be requested to co-operate by assembling all available reports and have the scheme thoroughly investigated and a report from the engineering noint of view brought down, was carried.

Agvote of thanks to Mr. Taylor for his work in connection with the preparation of the constitution, and the Mavor for presiding, were carried with acclamation.