CHAIRMAN'S ADDRESS.

Northern Advocate, 7 August 1919, Page 3

CHAIRMAN'S ADDRESS.

BOARD'S ACTION EXPLAINED.

THE RATEPAYERS' OPTION.

"CARDS ON THE TABLE."

Mr John D. McKenzie, as chairman of the Board, addressed the assembled delegates as follows:—

Gentlemen.—On behalf of the Whangarei Harbour Board I extend you a very hearty welcome. No doubt some of you are here at considerable inconvenience and let me express the hope that the result of your deliberations may prove to be of such a character that you will be enabled to forget any of the discomforts which you may have experienced in attending this meeting. Our reason for calling you together to this conference i 3 to place before you in as clear and as full a manner as possible, our harbour improvement scheme, and you, as the representatives of the ratepayers and of the industrial activities of the district, are to have the opportunity to say whether you approve of such a scheme or not. In approaching this subject I hope that none of you are going to adopt that narrow, parochial spirit which can qnly conceive a personal or a purely local interest. Those who take public positions have a grave responsibility cast upon them. Situations may arise where a project is of vital interest to a whole district and yet may not be of paramount importance to a remote part of it. This may be true of that with whkh we are about to deal at this conference. There may be details of the scheme that may not agree with individual notiona and yet may be true in principle. Much of the success of any scheme will largely depend on the personnel of the board and as the elections are within measurable distance you will have an opportunity to make any change that you think desirable. Prom a wide experience of all kinds of local bodies extending over forty years, I recognise the difficulty in obtaining men to fill public positions without an axe to grind, or who have no private or personal interest to serve and yet are possessed of that administrative ability so necessary in the conduct of the affairs of such a concern as that our larger public 'bodies. The proposals of the Whangarei Harbour Board to embark on a development scheme of the harbour has created a storm centre, the motives of which are easily discernible. With those I do not propose to deal, other than to say that in my opinion they are not in the beet interests of the district. The Harbour Board, after an existence of 26 years, during which time it had been endeavouring to keep the trade of the port going out of revenue, found the task was too great, and after taking into consideration the growing trade of this large and prosperous district, larger boats and a faster service have to be catered for. While we are clamouring for the rapid construction of our railway connection with the city of Auckland, and the rest of the Dominion, we must remember that the railway is not going to carry our heavy goods at anything like the same rate 3 as they can be carried by water. And we know that (the greater the facilities provided for the despatch, and the larger the bottoms engaged in the trade, the cheaper thjy can be carried eyen by water. Our

trade is growing daily, but larger boats cannot be used until a greater depth of water is secured to accomodate them. This has been the problem that confronts our board, and they decided to get an expert opinion from an outside qualified engineer, who would be unhampered by local influences or by local prejudices, to advise on what he considered the best course to pursue to make our harbour such as to be of the greatest service to the district' which requires to use it. That report has been furnished, and on it the Board decided on a definite policy which they submit for your approval. They are promoting an Empowering Bill in Parliament, giving them rating powers over the harbour district. This they consider necessary before a start can be made to do any of th necessary works required. With your assistance the Bill will undoubtedly have an easy passage through the House of Representatives and through the other Chamber. It will then be necessary for the board to take a poll of the ratepayers before money can be raised by way of loan, so that at every step the activities of the Board are under your own control. Not a penny can be borrowed without the .proposal being fully explained and meeting with your approval. Some of you think that I am unduly stressing this point, but in view of the criticism, interested and otherwise, I desire ta lay our cards on the table and allow you to judge whether we are playing the game or not. The next step will be to obtain a detailed survey of the harbour from Marsden Point to the Town Wharf, and from the main channel to Parua Bay and to Oakleigh. Having ascertained the nature of the material to be dealt with, the next step will be to secure a suitable plant to dead with it and land it on the mud flats which have been secured by the board, and which then when properly reclaimed will be a source of revenue to the board. With your approval of the acquisition of this plant, the board propose to start on that stretch of water between ' the railway bridge and th.3 Town Wharf, so as to enable the ' town to get its regular supply for distribution to the out districts, after which the plant will be available for any other part of the harbour requiring attention. I have been permitted to see the city of Auckland grow from about the size of Whangarei to its present dimensions and I have seen Whangarei grow from 300 inhabitants to that of about 4,000. I have watched with interest the slow development of its roads and railway construction. I have also watched the clearing, fencing, and ploughing of its broad and fertile acres and the increasing volume of its products seeking an outlet to the markets of the world, and I take off my hat to the noble band of pioneers who have accomplished it. Figures will be laid before you showing the volume of your trade, and the importance of getting a firm grip and firm control of the marketing of your products. The larger the ships, the lower will be your freights, and the greater will be your opportunity to exclude the middle man, who makes you pay dearly for every extra handling. You have at Whangarei the making of the best harbour in New Zealand at less cost than any other harbour I know of. It has possibilities even beyond that indicated by Mr Blair Mason's report but I feel contented with its proposals for the present, We wanjt more wharves

and we want them connected by road and rail, and we want sufficient shed accommodation to hold our butter, cheese, meat, wool, and other products, so that we can ship direct, and get our imports with less handling. While I am on my feet I would like to draw your attention to a map of the harbour districts, showing the road and the railway system of this part of our country. You will see by it the great possibilities, which this harbour offers as a distributing centre for a very largs area, an area which will ultimately be included in this district when the advantages to be derived are made apparent by improved communication. That phrase' "improved communication" in its widest sense is the key note to the country's prosperity. ■Get your shipping to come into the heart of your country, and get motor roads and rail to the shipyards and you will begin to live. Those of us who have gone through the pioneering stage may not be able to see its full accomplishment; but if we have in any way contributed to the wellbeing of our future citizens of God's Own Country then we : may feel thankful for. the opportunities afforded us. That I think is all I need to say at this stage. I thank you for a patient hearing and now leave the matter in your hands.