COAL FOR PHOSPHATE BOATS.

Northern Advocate, 5 November 1931, Page 3

COAL FOR PHOSPHATE BOATS.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —As a miner in, and resident of, Hikurangi, I wish to thank you for the very valuable support you have j given us in our struggle for existence. There is one other aspect which seems to be forgotten, and that is, what about that harbour and new wharf at which the phosphate boats are sup- j posed to call for bunkers? If I remember aright, this was arranged for by deputations to the shipowners some 18 months or more ago. Now wo have had the Auckland Harbour Board’s dredge working here, and, in the opinion of the public, the new harbour should be in a condition to admit those boats. No doubt there is a plan to provide bunkers, electric cranes, j etc., which will, of course, be essential, but, Mr Editor, is there anything wrong with erecting a kauri ricka mast with a .yardarm capable of lifting a load of three tons (maximum) 1 and swinging the coal aboard a boat. | I am quite certain that this could be | done, and, with the aid of an old engine of say 25 horse-power, and a loop-line (we are good on loop-lines up here), bunkering operations could be commenced in a few flays. It is ' up to the Harbour Board to let the public know how things stand with them. I would remind them that a great man has said: “You can fool ( some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool the whole of the 1 people the whole of the time,” Again thanking you, Mr Editor, and also the * Chamber of Commerce, I am, etc.,

T; F. McCLURE