DEEPER HARBOUR

Northern Advocate, 17 September 1927, Page 6

DEEPER HARBOUR

OCEAN-GOING TRADE. BOARD TO CoSmDER SCHEME. At the meeting of the Whangarei Harbour Board yesterday, Mr E. Swann moved that the chairman, Mr J. A. Finlayson, should visit Auckland with a view to gaining all information possible relative to the likelihood of phosphate carrying steamers calling at Whangarei for bunker coal. It was a most important matter as f if a trade developed, it would mean a second life for Hikurangi. The motion was seconded -by Mr R. G. Hosking,- who suggested, however, that the inquiries be instituted at the time when the chairman made his proposed visit to Wellington. >As the public was rightly taking an interest in the affairs of the board, Mr Hosking felt that it was proper that members should be equipped with all available information on the matter of possible inauguration of the trade, as the facilities it would give farmers to obtain manure would be of great imodrtance to the district. Mr J. D. McKenzie then moved that a committee comprising the chairman, Messrs Hosking and Holmes and the mover be appointed to consider the matter of making Whangarei a deepsea harbour to accommodate oceangoing shipping. The board had come to about the end of its tether in regard to ’ the loan/ and the provision being made at Kioreroa would not provide facilities for steamers from overseas requiring to take in bunker coal. The committee should investigate what powers the board had in regard to a further loan. Mr McKenzie looked upon Kioreroa port as only making provision for small ships to take coal away from there, owing to abandonment of the railway to Onerahi. Haying in view the large 'deposits in undeveloped coal-fields in the district, Mr McKenzie held that the committee should consider extension of the wharf at Kioreroa towards Onerahi, to provide deeper berthage, 'the deepening of the harbour generally to accommodate large steamers, and removal of the bar near One Tree Point.

Mr L, A. Johnson thought it was a matter to be gone into by the whole board. All members knew the financial position and all were agreed upon the desirability of making Whangarei a deep-sea port. That contention was supported by Mr Swann, but the chairman said that al} the committee could do in the early stage was to gain information to be submitted to the board. He considered that it was not fair to the present board for Mr J. D. McKenzie to have said that Kioreroa was only a small port, for if the board, when it had £120,000, had taken courage in its own hands and not frittered the fund away there would have been a deep-sea wharf at Kioreroa already. Mr Hosking thought that Mr McKenzie’s remarks had been misunderstood by the chairman* He was in favour of the committee to make the initial inquiries.

Mr Johnson then moved as an amendment that the matter be deferred until after the chairman had been to Wellington. That was seconded by Mr Swann. The chairman’s idea was that the committee could inquire into what would be the cost of providing deep water all the way down the harbour. Mr Hosking, said that the reason Messrs Mounce had been given a small contract first at Kioreroa was that the contractors and the board would then know what it would cost to remove the sandstone bar. It was possible that the board might be aide to get further depth on the sandstone bar at a lower cost than the contract already let. Further consideration of the matter was then deferred until next meeting.