PROPOSED PURCHASE

Horowhenua Chronicle, 4 July 1911, Page 2

PROPOSED PURCHASE

OF THE FOXTON WHARVES. DISCUSSION AT LEVIN BOROUGH COUNCIL. At the Levin Borough Council last evening the question of the acquisitkm of the Foxton wharves and purchase of a dredge was placed bofore the meeting by the representative of the borough, Mr B. It. Gardener .

Tho'Mayor, in his opening speech, said that there had been aji agitation ever since the Harbour Board was formed for the control of.the wharves. At the present time, the wharves were, run by the Railway Department, and l tho whole profit tha.t the Board obtained from a revenue point of view was only derived, from private funds ami the rents which accumulated from year to year. It was felt that tho river had' been absolutely neglected, and the result was that very often vessels were delayed, the consequence being that gmids wei'e also detained. A proposition had been .made to the Minister many times to allow the Board to take over the control of the wharves so that the Board could obtain control of the wharfages. The Minister had said tb -t the Department was getting a certain income, from the wharves but they wanted practically the goodwill for them. It was understood that the Government were prepared to sell the wharf for £20,000. Tho resultwas that the Board had unanimously come to the decision that it was necessary, In the interests of that port and in the interests of the surrounding districts, to purchase the wharf at the price. The Board also thought that it was neeessiary to raise C 7.000 for a dredge, and to put the whole thing into form. They proposed , to make a rating district, so that >a sum of £27,000 conl<l be borrowed, and the port could be made a more navigable one than it was. "With a deeper rivor, and having a dredge of the proposed magnitude, larger vessels would be able to go to the wharves, and the results would be that freights would be reduced. Speaking of Levin, the Mayor said that it was well-known that the town received .great benefit from the port. A great quantity of goods came to Foxton for Levin, and by improving the river they would Ik> able to get still more goods instead of by the railway, the charges of which . were extremely heavy. As the tradespeople beaieiited, it was na.tuirnl that the whole community also indirectly benefited. With regard to the financing; of the matter, it was proposed to pay interest and sinking fund out of the revenue derived from the income of the wharfages, pilotage, and rents from endowments. Tine following figures, which , were approximate were submitted by the Mayor: Revenue, wharfage, in and out. £2500 (less labour £600), pilotage, £350: rents. C 200: ships dues, bertha go. etc.. say on 35,000 tons at fid, £87/1; total £332/5. Expenditure :~~lnterest on £20,000 at 4 per cent., £800: sinking fund, at per cent. £300: pilots' department, £250: upkeep <»f wharf,- £4(Kh .interest and sinking fund on £7,000 for dredge, at 5 per cent, £350: dredge master. £250; working dredge, say three months, G300: secretary and office expenses, £200: total expenditure. £2897 10s: surplus, C 127 10s. It was, continued the Mayor, proposed to put a Bill through tho House for the purpose, and one clause would lie tluit the interest and sinking fund would, be paid nut of revenue, and also that no other sum beyond £27.000 con 1:1 be borrowed. The proposition was that the Kairanga County should pay C 125, Manawatu County £211, Foxton Borough, £158, Levin £25, Feildinp; Borough £70, Palmerston Borough £213. He- was satisfied that if the council agreed to the scheme the district would undouhterlv benefit bv it .

The Mayor, in reply to Cr. Hanman stated that the Wirokino riding might be included in the district.

The Town Clerk pointed out that lie did not think Wirikino riding had a representative on tho Harbour Board.

The Mayor thought the whole question might bo looked at from this poiint of view. Sntppoisiing they paid C2o. Was it worth C 25 in order to got better shipping facilities than they had at the present time? For the very small sum .they were guaranteeing- not collectingit seemed to him a very good 'business proposition, and lie thought the townspeople would a-gree that once the port was improved the amount whiob Leviin was called-upon to guarantee would be easily saved to the town. Tie moved that the -boron.<r-h places no 'obstacle in the way of allowing the Bill to pass the House.

Cr. Matheson seconded. Flo said that his firm got a lot of goods through Foxton, and they found the port was much cheaper than the railway. Tf larger steamers wore going to be brought up the river it would be a very good tiling for tradespeople and for the people indirectly. Cr. Mackenzie maintained tliait there were a, certain number ol things in the Mayor's statement that needed explanation. When it was stated thai there- might be approximately a surplus of £127, they heard nothing about a tug, tlio depreciation oi the plant to be used for a dredge, etc. Those were matters that should have be-oiii taken iii'to consideration. He knew they wouid hardly get a dredge thai would be efficient to cope with the work in hand , for C7OOO. They would require punts to carry the spoil away from the dredge. He was in favour of improving the port of Foxton, but ho would like a very complete statement brought down before voting on the- matter.

Cr. France was very much again.sit the proposal. He thought tho council would be doing a very foolish thing by runuing its head into the noose. Once the council was pledged to support the Harbour Board at Foxton they would have to stick to it, and if the majority of tlve controlling Board sho-ukl like to go in for additional plant tlvis council would have to stand by. Hie Mayor: That is wrong. The amount is £27,000, and nothing else can. 1)0 borrowed.

Cr. France retorted that once this council came in to the scheme, it would have to stick in. Why did not Foxton build a wharf of its own if it wanted to be relieved of tlio railway? As representing bhic ratepayers he did not think they would be. justified in taking up such a burden.

Cr. Hannan felt some sympathy for the project, but declared that at the present time- the swheme was rather n crude one. He wanted the whole of > the matter submitted to actuarial 'nvestigation before He could consent to be led into a sdiome for Mio improvement of theharbour. At }\cw Plymouitli tbey found the people wished thoy had never undertaken, the responsibility of a harbour board. The same might be said of Oamaru.

_ Cr. Lancaster said that the council should be very careful in a mattor of this kind. It seemed only a small .matter so'far as Levin was concerned, but at the- same time if they undertook to take part in the work they admitted they were interested in the harbour. When there were any future requirements for money to be spent there was no doubt Levin would have to nay for it.

Cr. Palmer was not against the proposal, but before he took action one- way or the other the council would have to oarefnllv consider wJiat it was doing. Or. Prouse remarked that £25 was

not very much, a«d the storekeepers wbuld[Why it- Hβ .would have no objection to borrowing tlio money and setting the w varves, but the trouble began when they started to interfere with the laws of nature. Ho would not go with his head into a noose for more .than the £27,UUU. Tiro Mayor, in rcy.ly, statctl .that a competent engineer was appointed to make recommendations on the necessity of having a dredge of the kind alluded to. It was bound to be both necessary and economical. By t'be dredging of the nver the rfiihvny in past years had received a revenue from the shingle which was obtained by the dredging, and which was anxiously sought after by the local bodies "TnHkii. particular locality. The Go\ r ernincnt % was taking a- revenue of nearly £'2000 a year jukl not spending a penny on the" river. The total revenue which the present hoard derived from tire nort was the paltry sum obtained only by the pilotage and the rent from endowments.' Surely the members present should give the members ol the Harbour .Hoard credit for obtaining all the necessary expert evidence- and opinions upon the work of the description mentioned. Considering the whole of the members of the board were unanimous at was necessary in the interests of their several 'districts that the purchase should be gone on with, the members of the council should be satisfied with thoiir representatives' views on the subject, because they were only conserving that which they thought was beneficial to the districts they were representing. Tf the shopkeepers could get three-quarters of their stuff instead of a quarter by Foxton, what -an, advantage it would be. With regard to punts be pointed out thai they already had them. \fter some further discussion the Mayor suggested that the debate, stand adjourned to the next meeting of the council, so as to give the members an opportunity of considering the issues, and also to give them an opportunity of making application for any further information which thev might like to obtain. Finally he thought the whole position, which the council had to decide was tin's guarantee of C 25: whether it was going to benefit the town. It «"as agreed to adjourn the matter till the"next meeting of the conn, oil.