CONTROL OF MANUKAU HARBOUR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13484, 10 May 1907, Page 6

CONTROL OF MANUKAU HARBOUR.

DISCUSSION BY THE CHAMBER OF

COMMERCE.

At the meeting of the Council of the Chamber of Commerce yesterday, the president (Mr. •N. A. Nathan) said the representatives of the Chamber had had an interview with the Hon. J. A. Millar, Minister for Marine, relative to the proposed Manukau-Waite-mata canal, and Mr. Millar was anxious that the matter of control of Manukau Harbour should be brought before the Chamber. It was in the interests of the mercantile community of Auckland that the Manukau Harbour should be under the control of the Auckland Harbour Board, and if a canal was to be cut it would be very necessary that both harbours should be under the one board. ..:' ~„" . •.->.;.,■

Mr. J. B. Macfarlane said it was a very big question. There were no endowments to Manukau Harbour, and there would be very heavy expense for dredging. It was a very important question, ana one the Chamber should express an opinion upon, as the Board would naturally like a lead from the mercantile community; He did not think the Board was hankering after the project, and if the proposal was to be carried into effect the Board should first know the mind of the mercantile community. • Mr. Graves Aickin remarked that 20 years ago, in consequence of the outrageous charges made by (the Government at Onehunga, the Auckland Harbour Board then agreed to take over the Manukau Harbour, but owing to agitation by holders of vested interests the Legislature would not entertain the project. The Government could surely give the Board the foreshore, and that would be valuable, in time, and;then the western harbour would be ; carried on in a businesslike manner. ' l " ' :

■ After further discussion the matter was deferred to a future meeting.