THE FOXTON HARBOUR BOARD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 439, 15 October 1908, Page 3

THE FOXTON HARBOUR BOARD.

Mr Stevens’ Letter to the

Prime Minister

The following letters have been received by the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce from Mr John Stevens M.P. in reference to the Harbour Board

Sir,-—As promised I transmit herewith for the information of the Chamber of Commerce and yourself copy of letter which I addressed to the Right Hon. : the Prime Minister on the 7th inst, 011 the subject of the Foxton Harbour Board Bill, by which you will observe that I have up to the last moment kept the question of sufficient endowment before the attention of the Government, but at this period the velocity with which legislation was passed through the House, especially local bills, was such as to practically preclude any alteration being made in the Bill from what it contained when it was reported by the Local Bills Committee. I, however, moved in clause 8, when the Bill was in Committee of the Whole, that an annual endowment of ,£ls°° should be made from consolidated revenue, for a period of 30 years. But my motion, as I knew it would be, was ruled out of order by the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole House. My object is moving it was to impress the requirements of the Board as vividly as possible upon the notice of the Government. I observe in a leader published iu the Manawatu Herald, on the subject of the Foxton Harbour Board Bill, the endowments given to the Board are enumerated showing only the laud with which the Board is endowed and omitting to state that it will also be endowed with pilotage and harbour dues. Both of these items were contained in the Bill when introduced by me in the House; the Locals Bills Committee, however, struck out pilotage and harbour dues. The reason for striking out these two items was because they were surplusage. Under the Consolidated Harbours Act both pilotage and harbour dues pass automatically from the Marine Department to the Harbour Board when constituted. You will therefore see that there was no reason for retaining the above two items in the Foxton Harbour Board Bill. The Chamber of Commerce and Harbour Board, if constituted, will have ample time to continue negotiations with the Government on the subject of having the Board properly financed, and to this end I shall not only feel it my duty but a great pleasure to reuder every assistance in my power for the purpose of solving this difficult problem with which we have been confronted. But I do not despair of yet having it solved to the mutual satisfaction of both the Chamber of Commerce, the Harbour Board, and the Government, as I feel sure that its importance fully warrants a further long and continuous effort being made in order to achieve the much desired end. — I am, etc.,

John Stevens,

(Copy of letter to Prime Minister.)

• Sir, —I have the honour to again refer to the important question of the Foxton Harbour, with the hope that you may be pleased to suggest some means whereby the Foxton Harbour Board when brought into existence will be' properly and adequately financed iu lieu of the ,£1,200 or.-j£i,soo per annum which is being collected by the Railway Department for berthage and wharfage dues which I respectfully submit are quite illegally being paid into the credit of the Railways account in contravention of section 111 of the Consolidated Harbours Act 1908, instead of being used for the maintenance and improvement of the harbour. I wrote you on September nth in reply to your telegram containing an offer from the Government to pay .£SOO per annum to the Harbour Board when constituted for a period of ten years provided that the Harbour Board took rating powe rs, but have as yet received no reply to my communication. For several reasons set out in my letters above referred to this proposal is quite impracticable. The amount proposed to be paid as an endowment, and the period over which it was to be paid, are so totally inadequate to the absolutely necessary expenditure required to reasonably equip and maintain the harbour that I regret to say the proposal could not possibly be entertained, as this harbour, being the only one of the four river harbours of the West Coast of the North Island, would be singled out and required to pay rates for no purpose other than swelling the railway receipts, as neither Waitara, Patea, nor Wanganui, pay any rates ; and in these circumstances the proposal made to pay rates would be strenuously resented by the public concerned. Since last writing you upon the subject

; I have had an interview with the I Honourable the Minister for Marine, who is not only willing , but anxious that the port of Fox- ; ton shall receive the attention which its importance warrants, and he has therefore consented to hand over to the Harbour Board 7 the several reserves, and the pilotage and harbour dues ; being the whole of the property at Foxton under the control of the Marine Department. It therefore now only remains for either the wharfage and berthage dues to be handed over to the Harbour Board by the Railway Department in order that themoney may be expended for its legitimate purpose, or, failing this, that the Government may be pleased to see its way to grant an annual subsidy .£1,500 to be expended in the equippage, maintenance, and improvement of the harbour, for a period similar to that which has been granted to the Nelson Harbour Board, viz, lor thirty years. While discussing the question with the Honourable the Minister for Railways, it was suggested that should the pilotage and a harbour dues increase to any considerable amount above £1,500 required, than in such case, a proportionate annual reduction might be made in the amount ol the annual endowment. , This, however, is a matter of detail and. question of adjustment which requires consideration. But to allow the harbour to remain in its present unsatisfactory state is not one which affects the large district concerned any less than it affects the Railway Department, as its coal trade at present exceeds 24,000 tons per annum, and so soon as the railway line is constructed from Levin to Martou or Greatford the port of Foxton must, from its geographical position, be the greatest Government coal-dis-tri outing centre for the whole of the railways from Turakina southward to Paekakariki, and Foxton north to Ohakuue, and towards the east, Palmerston North, Pahiatua and Dauuevirke, the whole of the lines of railway touching these several places can be more expeditiously and cheaply supplied with coal from the port of Foxton, owing to its closer proximity to the coal mines on the west coast of the South Island, than from any other port in the North Island. Therefore to supply the large amount of coal necessary from Wellington or Wanganui to the localities named, owing to the very steep grades and sharp curves on the railways, must entail enormous extra expenditure. Thus the cost of haulage from Wanganui or Wellington must be so greatly in excess of that required for haulage from Foxton as to make it almost imperative that Foxton must be the distributing centre, so saving to the railway department, not merely the £r,500 per annum which is being wrongly diverted and paid into the railway receipts, but many thousands of pounds over and above the .£1,500 will assuredly in the near future be saved to the railway department; besides this the advantage to the several districts named by giving proper facilities for shipping imports and exports will, I am certain, more than justify the very moderate expenditure which it is required shall be made in order to develop the growing and important trade of the Port of Foxton, it being the natural outlet of this coast from Turakina to Paekakariki. I should like to apologise for so frequently and persistently bringing this matter under the attention of the Government, and would do so, but feel that I cannot, because its very great importance I am confident more than justifies any representation which I have made, or can make, in order that both the Government and the public concerned may in the near future be endowed with a heritage of such great value, and thus leaving no room for argument as to the advisableness or justice of making the proposed small expenditure of £1,500 per annum for the period named. The Foxton Harbour Board Bill is now set down for its second reading and I have therefore addressed you in the hope that you may be pleased to give your early and favourable consideration to the matter, and so enable the Bill to be placed on the Statute Book this session which will be of practical utility and reflect, as it will I am sure, credit on the Government by its proper consideration and determination of this vital question. Should, you desire me to again interview you upon the matter it will afford me pleasure to do so immediately when required.—l have, etc.,

John • Stevens.

[A footnote to the above was written and signed by Mr W. H. Field M.P., affirming the contents of the letter.]

Mr. Hennessy received a tele" gram from Mr. John Stevens* M.P., yesterday, stating that he had received a reply from Sir Joseph Ward as follows Just received following letter from Prime Minister: ‘lam in receipt of your letter of 7th inst., and also your communication of even date in respect to the question of financing the Foxton Harbour Board to be established under the Act just passed, and, as requested, shall be glad to look further into the matter. J. G. Ward.’ ” Mr. Stevens says that the Premier’s letter “ gives us an opportunity of further negotiations ” which he hopes will be further formulated when he visits Foxton.