PICTON HARBOR.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLV, Issue 66, 18 March 1911, Page 8

PICTON HARBOR.

THE PROPOSED HARBOR BOARD

Our Picton correspondent writes:— A meeting of the Borough Council •and Chamber of Commerce took place last evening in the Council Chambers to deal further with the question of a Harbor Board for Picton.

The Chairman (Dr Redman) explained that the meeting was called in accordance with a resolution passed a,t the last meeting to hear the report of the committee set up to obtain particulars. The Chairman reported that the •committee had gone carefully into -the matter, and in the first place advised that a Harbor Board be formed for Picton, on certain conditions. It would be useless to form a Harbor Board, unless on a sound financial basis, and they should not take control without sufficient revenue, so that no charge should devolve on the town. The conditions asked should be similar to those in Nelson and Motueka, where Government support was given. The' Committee also recommended that the Board have control of the whole harbor, the limits -of which should be from Dieffenbacb. round to the Grove and extending to the western point ;of Bay of Many Coves, all wharves and sheds thereon included, which would be those at Picton, the wharf only at the Grove, and the wharf and sheds at Torea. The area should be exclusive of lands, etc., required by the Railway Department. To derive revenue, there should be power to collect all pilotage fees, port charges, and fees from all launches and small craft* plying within the harbor limits. The Government would be asked for a subsidy similar to that cdven to Motueka, viz,, subsidy of £500, diminishing by £1 for £1 when £1000 income was exceeded., With regard to the land on London Quay at present occupied try the railway station and buildings, -"this should be rested' in the Corporation, principally for beautifying pur-.poses,--and not. handed over for ■speculation, ,as the view of' the. sea should in n<j wise be obstructed.- The land should be vested in the Borough for public utility only, but part could be used by the Harbor Board for offices.

Mr Riddell asked how it was intended to treat the wharves within the harbor limit.

The Chairman 'explained that at present no charges would be made for their Use, as it was desired that this port be the cheapest in the Dominion. It was trusted that it would not be necessary to levy any charges,, .but -fch#y should ask for by-laws to make' charges' if necessary. The princiosi expenses would be the salary of th© Harbor Board officer and maintenance* *6f xthe small wharves; but if a Government subsidy were given, this, in conjunction with the port charges, would cover these expenses. It was not intended •to ask for1 any rating powers. Mr Riddell stated that he considered the report one of the best he had heard in that chamber. The Committee were to be congratulated on going into the matter so thoroughly. He- was quite in accord in asking for the area stated, and endorsed the recommendation that the land lon London Quay be vested in the Borough Council. If the Government could only be persuaded to look •at the proposition through the same and give them what they asked for, they would be in a position to be congratulated. Mr T. Philpotts said that he considered the report a very good one. He had seen in the papers that the old inhabitants had given their birthright away. This was not so; they had tried before to get a Harbor "Board, but had been refused each time. He could not see that they -were going to gain anything «if the control of the harbor were obtained.

Mr E. C. Perano stated that Picton was the cheapest port in New "Zealand, and practically the only port not controlled t by a Harbor Board. They should approach Mr Millar and ask him to give an opinion, and if he were willing favorably to consider it, then they should go into ways and means, as they wanted more than three weeks to consider it. He did not think they would be any better off under a Harbor Board than at present. Picton showed up veryi well under Government management.

Mr Greensill said that if the Government had given Motueka and Nelson these advantages, why not give them to Picton? Mr Harwood said that with regard "to Picton's being the cheapest port 'he begged to differ; it was anything Hbut cheap. The charges were 3s per ton, againsf. Is 9d. at Lyttelton. Inhere was no harbor so well endowed by nature arid had so little done to it by the Government than this. The port charges were exceptionally low, no doubt, and the charges of the Pateena very light—about £1 a trip; but if they wanted to travel it was about the deafest spot on earth. To Wellington it cost 15s; but from Nelson, where the port charges were about £10 every trip, the tare was considerably less in comparison. People travelled considerably cheaper from Nelson.

Mr Perano said he thought they had better get up in arms against the Union Company. Cargo was landed cheaper in Blenheim than at Picton from Wellington. They had better ask Mr Millar to reduce the wharf charges and place them on a better footing: in this respect. Mr Fell said that they could not make comparisons with Nelson, as Picton had a natural harbor and Nelson had not. Now Picton was threatened with dual wharfage. They should most certainly have foreshore control, as they looked for the day when many visitors would come there annually, and they must be in a position to cater for them.

Mr Riddell moved: "That this meeting agree with the recommendations of the committee set up, and call a public meeting for Wednesday next in the Foresters' Hall at 8 p.m. and then thrash the matter out on the public platform." Mr Riddell expatiated upon the advantages of Picton in most glowing terms. _ He thoroughly believed in the principle of "seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you." They must ask, even if they were refused, and then ask and ask again. Mr C. Fredericks seconded Mr Riddell' s motion, as he was sure it would be most advantageous to the town. The Chairman said he was plad the question had been so thoroughly discussed. The meeting had been very instructive. With regard to what they were to gain, firstly, local control was superior to central control. \ If a Harbor Board were formed it would be to their interest to keep it the cheapest t>ort in New Zealand. They did not know what the Government would do in the future. It was not to Nelson's^ or Wellington's advantage that this should be a ."heap port, and they misiht bring influence to bear against it. The

answer to its being cheapest was that it, was the only natural harbor in New Zealand, and had nothing whatever to do with Government or Harbor Boards. In other places money had been poured out, very likely, just to get Government support; but harbors had never been made. They did not commit themselves in any way. p It lay with the public now to say if they should ask for a Harbor Board or not.

The motion was put and carried unanimously.

During the meeting the arguments waxed very warm at times, and were very interesting; but it is evidently the opinion of the commercial community that it would be most advantageous to the place that * harbor affairs should be vested in a Board, and rightly so, as the arguments brought forward conclusively prove. The main point is that control will not be asked for unless it be on a solid financial basis, so that no annual charge shall devolve on the district. . •

It is hoped that a large meeting will take place next Wednesday.