WHANGAREI HARBOUR HAS GREAT FUTURE

Northern Advocate, 24 June 1937, Page 2

WHANGAREI HARBOUR HAS GREAT FUTURE

Big Part To Play In Development of Northland

One of the most interesting addresses given to the Whangarei Chamber of Commerce for some time was delivered by Mr. W. M. Fraser, secretary-engineer of the Whangarei Harbour Board, last night, when he spoke on the Whangarei Harbour and its possibilities. Mr. Fraser gave many little-known facts about this asset to the district, and dealt fully with the future likelihood of development.

“Whangarei compares very favourably with other harbours,” he said. “It’s low water entrance depth is 50 feet, Wellington being next with 42 feet. Lyttelton has 34 feet, while the least depth in the Rangitoto Channel, leading to Auckland, is 31 £ feet. Up to a point half a mile below the Railway Wharf, Whangarei carries the same navigable depth as does the Bay of Islands up to Opua, but, from this point to the wharf, the channel has one foot less water than Opua at high tide. Whangarei, up to Kioreroa, carries the same high water depth as the channel leading to Dunedin, and this is just twice the depth of the Wanganui Harbour. Sites for Industries. “It is noticeable whep entering any of the principal ports of' the country that the land falls steeply to the water’s edge, and that, in order to obtain level sites necessary if or the industries of a city, costly reclamations of the harbour bed have taken place, and are still in progress. “The Whangarei harbour foreshore consists chiefly of extensive flat lands covered only by a few inches of water :at high tides, making reclamation work a simple and inexpensive matter. “At Kioreroa, which will be the principal shipping and industrial centre for the district, the harbour board owns the freehold of an area over a square mile in extent, and the board is endowed altogether with over 6,000 acres of waterfront land. By this it will be seen that when the North comes into its own, the port authority of Whangarei will be a wealthy corporation. '/ v ' ’■ /

Possibilities of Harbour. , “I am asked to illustrate 1 the possibilities of the'harbour, and, to do this, one must explore the potentialities of the area of country which the harbour is capable of serving. “As you are aWare, the North has been, and is still, dependent entirely lupch the port of Auckland for its imports and exports, anl you will surely realise that while this continues our possibilities will remain in the air and the handicap on our backs. “Our Northland, with .its abundance of sunshine and rain, and a sheltered configuration of country, is destined to carry a, large population; almost every,,gully in it support a , family if they •V jybre sufficfenttly industries, and Whangartifilarbour must play an important part in the life of these pcoplfe. * ■

Bringing About Change. Mr. Fraser went on to outline briefly what he believed should be done, in order to bring about the development which so much desired. “(a) Metal the new road from the town to the port at Kioreroa, the formation work of which is now completed. ' “(b) Harbour board to lay out and advertise its industrial sites for leasing. This, I may say, the board at its last meeting decided to do. “(c) The people to offer inducement to an oil company to instal an oil tank at Kioreroa and so save considerable freight. “(d) The business people to join in placing their orderk for Australian and South' Island manufactures and products, and insisting on the shipments coming direct. “(e) The farmers, through their dairy companies, to join in placing their orders with the Australian growers, if possible, for barley, which is so excellent for the production of bacon pigs, and which could come direct to Kioreroa. Get Consignments Direct. “(f) The lumping together of the various dairy companies and business firms’ orders for guano and imported slag, so that the consignments might come direct, and so save handling and 10/- a ton in freight. “(g) The building of a warehouse or bulk store at the port by perhaps the harbour board for both inward and outward goods. “(h) Farmers to establish their own chemical fertiliser works in the North.

“(i) A closer co-operation by way of periodical interchange of visits of certain of the local bodies, in order to get unity of purpose in the general progress of the great North Land, and so break down that parochial jealousy which uphappily—though unintentionally—exists. “Already the harbour boards of the Bay of Islands and Whangarei, having each realised the economic value of the other fellow's harbour, have buried the hatchet and are working together for the common good. “(j) When the foregoing is brought about, the Whangarei harbour to be_ come a port of entry.” “Since the linking of Auckland City and the North by railway, goods have been carried at competitive rates by both rail and sea.