PORT RIVALRY

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 9 November 1927, Page 10

PORT RIVALRY

UNFRIENDLY CRITICISM. REPLY BY PATEA BOARD. Reference was made at the ordinary meeting of the Pa tea Harbour Board on Monday to some sacrastic anonymous correspondence appearing in a Wanganui paper in criticism ot tne port of Pa tea and referring to the transhipment to Wanganui by rail ot 4,500 crates of cheese. The chairman said it appeared that Wanganui was trying to find fault with Pa tea. He said the transhipment had been made because of the bad weatehr prevailing, but the followin<r day the bar at Patea was workaide, and Wanganui, he understood, was unworkable. He believed he \vas safe in saving that- a tally would show there were as many days at Wanganui as at Patea when the bar prevented shipping. , , Mr Hodge said they always made the best of the possible opportunities but if there was any risk the boats did not enter. The chairman said that natural 1> they wanted to get as much through their port as possible. It was easy, he added, for outsiders to criticise. Actually the shipping was controlled by a board in Wellington, who a-sked for certain quantities to be sent to teed the liners there. When cheese had been purchased at high prices it was essential to get it away. If the board asked for very large shipments they must be got away as- early as possible, and to maintain their contract the Harbour Board sometimes, especially at this stormy time of the year, had to .send by rail in the rush period, hast week the bar could not be worked on some days, whereas this week it was as smooth as could be. When such difficulty arose they had to send cheese by rail, thus losings revenue. But they always had to consider the keeping of obligations, and sometimes there were exceptional demands made by the Control Board. Mr. Hodge, who produced a very exact diary of the movements of the steamers in and out of Patea, .showed what could be done so long as the weather were reasonably fine. For the early months of this year he showed how the Patea boats came and went om Patea. with almost clocklike regularity, and without any breaks. The last 'month, the period of the equinox, had l>een an exceedingly difficult time for the Patea steamers, and on several days they could not enter. In consequence it had been found necessary to send the 4500 crates mentioned. These shipments, endorsing Mr. Christensen’s remarks, were governed by the Control Board, who asked for big shipments to fill the Home liners. It was very different to the old times, when the works here controlled the outgoings. At any time nowadays, rather than" miss an 'allotment, they would send some cheese to Wanganui. He mentioned that in the first three months of the year they sent out over tons a clay, and .'he added that each year for tlie past four years they had used Wanganui at certain times, sending from 17 per cent to 20 per cent through that port. The proedure this year was exactly the same “tactics” as in previous years. Actually, he said in conclusion, anonymous letters threw a lot of mud, and were probably done by friends of rival ports’ who were glad to see a wrangle. Mr. Watkins, who had brought up the matter, said it was necessary to take notice of .such statements. Mr. Hodge said any ratepayer would be shown the working of the port if '°e came to the company, and he added that the Shipping Company here had to keep commitments to the Control Board, which was elected by the farmers. Mr. Williams said that he knew of occasions when liners were held up at Wanganui, and that port was unworkable at times when Patea could he worked without trouble. The chairman said they must not take too much notice of anonymous letters. He said the port of Patea had been much improved, and the money sj>ent had been amply justified- and saved the South Taranaki factories at least £20,000 per annum, which was a big item for the industry. If there were no port here it would cost probably more than that. The port was working well, but they never took a risk with their boats. * Patea was the greatest exporter of cheese in the Dominion, and the company always had to get supplies away for the Home boats. Last year the value of the exports was £2,381.250, and in spite of some disadvantages a very small proportion was sent- to any other port. They were justified in carrying on ns they were doing. Bad weather affected other ports, and at times there were delays at "Wanganui and Wellington ends.' He was quite sure, he said in conclusion, that they were doing the best possible under all circumstances. Mr. Watkins said he felt the discussion would do a lot of good, and would show the board was not to blame.