HARBOUR BOARD'S AFFAIRS

Colonist, Volume LXI, Issue 15042, 9 April 1919, Page 4

HARBOUR BOARD'S AFFAIRS

REVIEW OF THE YEAR.

At yesterday's meeting of the Nelson 1 Harbour Board the chairman remarked j that it was the last meeting of the pre- ; sent Board, and he desired to thank (members for the support accorded him I during the year in the transaction of the Board's business. The past year had been a memorable one in tfie hisj tory of the Board owing to the rate- ; papers having given the necessary auj thority to raise the loan of £103,000 for i the purchase of the wharves. He pre- ! dieted that the purchase would prove of I great prospective value to the district, It6r-T.vhen.the port regained its pre-war ! trade it would be found that the disitrict had made a good bargain. The 'Board's revenue, like that of other Boards-,, had been, seriously reduced during the war> In 1913-14 the revenue j was £4518 and in 1919-18 £2248, a drop. ;of £2270. The loss in revenue had been met by the levying of a rate of onesixth of a penny on the original loan of : £65,000. This would enable the new board to meet, plus the revenue from the wharf, its interest eharges,without calling on the ratepayers to find anything further. A great deal would depend upon wheiherthe ■'Board met its responsibilicies in regard to wharf management. ,The working of the wharves would require very careful consideration and they would require to be administered with the least possible friction^ consist* ent with firmness. The Avnarves lnu&x, be made to first provide interest \ on the purchase, and the new board might find it necessary to increase its wharfage rates (as intimated by the Railway Department), but after providing for interest and upkeep the aim should be to. make the port a cheap and easily worked one., The fruit industry promised to be a big factor in Nelson's future prosperity, and Jie hoped that the conference of local bodies to be held next May would endorse and endeavour to induce the Government to construct h rai'way of a serviceable kind between Mo'oueka and Nelson. . During the past year the old dredge was sold for. £2000. : Efforts for the past five >ears had been made to dispose of her at a higher figure, but without result, and they, might therefore consider that.as^she.was unsuitable for the work of diedging this harbour that the sale was a good,one. They had also sold a considerable quantity of scrap iron, and owing to war conditions these sales might also be considered satisfactory. Sundry repairs to the mole had been made,, which had had the effect of making it he trusted, strong enough to resist all ordinary storms. At Mapua the wharf had been strengthened, and was now in a condition, as would be gathered from the Harbourmaster's report, to meet this year's requirements. The new board would have, besides the important question of wharf organisation and management, to consider the question of merging the Murchison district and the area around Mapua in fhe Nelson Harboiir District. The important question also as to whethere there should be one Harbour Board for Nelson and Motueka was one that should, he thought seriously engage . the attention of both boards. To him it'seemed such a scheme combined with a light railway would link up and consoEdate the interests of frotß districts to the great advantage of their respective populations. In conclusion he again thanked the members for the support accorded the chair. Mr Washbourn spoke, of the good spirit that had prevailed among the members in the transaction of the board's business, and Mr Edwards thanked members for the countesy extended to him as a new member duringhis term of office.