WESTPORT HARBOUR BOARD.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 5 August 1919, Page 5

WESTPORT HARBOUR BOARD.

(BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

WESTPORT, August 2. I The financial straits imposed on the ' Westport Harbour Board under clause 105 of the Finance Act 1915, which ' leaves the Board to meet all increases ! of wages and increased cost of material j out of ordinary revenue, and gives the ) 21 per cent increase of charges made by the Government (now amounting to £50,000, intended to meet these abnormal charges) as a clear gift to the Rail- ' way Denartmeßt, is having a crippling •' effect oft the revenues of the harbour ' board and hampering the development of local industry. It is necessary, in order that a better class of coal may be produced, that a market he found for the slack coal, and the market the coal companies depend upon is the bunkering of vesels. The Board, however, owing to the stricutre on its revenue by | the Finance Act, is not able to keep de- j velopment works going so as to cater J for the bunkering of large ships, hence the whole industry is suffering.' This' j hampering of the Board's finances, coupled with the complete holding up of the construction of the Buller Gorge, | railway,, connecting up the largest field . of coal in New Zealand, is causing serious unrest in Westport, and the chairman of .the Harbour Board indicated at a recent meeting that it may be found

necessary to resort to public meetings to bring home to the Government the monstrous injustice that is being done to the Board, and, through it. to the district.