REPRESENTATION ON HARBOUR BOARD

Southland Times, Issue 24756, 29 May 1942, Page 3

REPRESENTATION ON HARBOUR BOARD

CLAIMS OF BLUFF AND CITY The representation of Bluff on the Bluff Harbour Board was discussed at the annual meeting yesterday when Captain R. J. Hamilton urged that more meetings should be held at the port. He expressed the opinion that the port was entitled to more representatives on the board. Bluff had only two members. Captain Hamilton said the meetings should be held at Invercargill and Bluff alternately. The chairman (Mr W. J. A. McGregor) said that practice was followed as far as possible. “I want to remind you that this is the Bluff Harbour Board and not the Invercargill Harbour Board,” Captain Hamilton said. He thought Bluff should have another representative on the board. Invercargill had five members when the Government and shipping companies’ representatives were included. The people of Invercargill apparently did not take much interest in the board, as there had been no election when the city members were last appointed. Mr W. A. Ott said the board was probably wrongly named and would be better called the Southland Harbour Board. Bluff was the gateway of Southland, replied Captain Hamilton. Mr D. H. Cockburn said there was no point in discussing representation because it had been fixed and the board had no say in it. The back country which supported the port had to be considered. “The people of Southland are keeping Bluff going by producing the goods handled at the port,” said the chairman. “It would be no good producing the goods if there were no ships,” Captain Hamilton said. The chairman said Southland was now producing about 2,000,000 fat sheep and lambs a year. Most of these were exported through Bluff. Some time ago it had been threatened that no ships would come to Bluff and that Southland’s products would have to be sent to Dunedin for shipping. However, the port of Bluff was still operating. Captain Hamilton urged the board to consider moving the grid off Green Point to a more convenient position. He also said the board had deprived the people of Bluff of a great convenience in removing the flagstaff on the top of Bluff Hill. This had been done before the war.

The chainrian said the flagstaff had been removed at the request of the authorities.

It was agreed to hold future meetings alternately at Invercargill and Bluff. A suggestion by the chairman that full board meetings be held only once in two months for the convenience of country members was not approved. The harbourmaster (Captain N. B. Haszard) was asked for a report on the grid.