Patea & Waverley Press. WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 1914. Two Steps Forward.

Patea Mail, Volume XXXIX, 8 July 1914, Page 2

Patea & Waverley Press. WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 1914. Two Steps Forward.

Monday rtny truly he said to have been an epoch making day in the history of Patea. After many years of waiting the Harbour Board on that day took a big-forward step in the appointment of a Resident Engineer for the port. Moat psople will agree that a port which deals with the shipment of upwards of three quarters of a million pounds worth of produce annually is well worth keeping open and to that end no better course could be followed in our opinion than that adopted by the Board in appointing a duly qualified and experienced person to take charge of the practical side of the Board’s work. Especially is this the case when the extensive improvements which are about to be carried out are boroe in mind. The yalue of an open port to the town and district is incalculable and the mere question of the salary of an experienced and qualified official should not be allowed for a moment to weigh against the welfare and future of the, port. We have not the slightest doubt that the newly appointed Engineer will sav** bis salary many times over before he has been many months in the Board’s employ. With his assistance before the general scheme of harbour improvements is brought into operation ha should not only save a considerable sum to the Board but should serve the town and district well by keeping the port open, especially if he is assisted in bis operations by a small dredge which should have no difficulty in keeping the obannel clear. All that would then be needed to make the port serviceable at all tides would be the improvement of the bar which will of course be provided for in the consulting Engineer’s report and which in any case would require to be carried out under the direotion of a skilled and qualified engineer. A point that should not be overlooked is the f ict that better work is likely to be accomplisiied by an Engineer who has spent some time at the port studying iocal conditions before the chief improvement works are carried out than by one who arrives on the spot jusc as the works are about to be commenced.

Another forward step taken on | Monday was the action of the Borough t/ouncil in deciding upon entering upon the moving picure enterprise in connection witn the new Town Hall. With the new arrivals that may be expected in the town in connection with the Harbour Works, the Water and Drainage schemes, and the building of the new Freezing Works, there should be a margin of profit to the ratepayers in the undertaking from the commencement, though we must confess we would sooner have seen the Hall leased straight out for purpose. However, the Council is doing the right thing now that the Hall is an accomplished fact, in seeing that it does not prove a burden to*tho ratepayers in any way. Moat rate payers will, we think, prefer that the interest and other charges on the Hall be paid by the pleasure loving public than by the ratepayers.