HARBOUR EXTENSION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIV, Issue 86, 22 March 1902, Page 2

HARBOUR EXTENSION.

MR OA MAN'S PKOPOSA.L9 BICQBI 'l'HB H4.KROUR BOARD. BOARD WILL AWAIT COM PANT* 5 FLOATATION. The Harbour Boaid on Frid*T afternoon bad under consideration tin memorandum from Hon. A.J. Oadmaft in reference to extended shipping facilities at the New Plymouth hai bour. The Chairman said he would lllw members to nate sjme savings on prtsent expenditure that could be imfc " if the Board obtained a lean for haroour extension The amount so saveJ would be .£3723 6s, and this would enable th« Bjatd to pay interest on % £IOO,OOO I an. If a loin of £140,00(F >v £150.000 were raised tbe Board would hive on h>tnd a large auni of money which would be earning interest. Personally, he thought it would be a retrograde movement to hand tbe harbour over to a company, and instanced the case of the dairy factorie# of Taranski, control of which tb* farmers had now secured. After the long y«ars of struggles and hardships through which the district h»d pvsiid, it would be wrong for tbe ratepayers te part with th" control »>f this most important undertaking—the harbour. It wm true the pro mo icm of the ironsand company had stated tbat if they could not get i adequate harbour improvements the works would have to be erected aoeaewhere else; but he did not fear much ' on that score. Mr Sarten movsd, That as coon as i the breastwork is. finished the Works ' Oommit'ee be instructed to haw robI bis put Over the end of the wall for f one month.. This would, he said, prevent sand from coming round the end * of the and show that dredging f was not needod, The Board eonldtl»e» 8 go to tbe ratepayers with confidonoa t and ask for a loau, having something • definite to show them as to how the *j money could be spent on extension

work. Mr King: What would be tb* oort of the month's work ? Mr Sarten said fas oould not nf» W the Beard would have an Idea of cost if it went on with the woik. The motion was not seconded. Mr Maxwell moved, That the Beard is prepared to band over the bar* baur in te>ms <>f Mr Oidman'a offer of 18th February, and thai * committee be appointed to draw up exact conditions, for sub nika<on to the n«xt Board mooting. Mr Maxwell s«id ihe httt bour had never paid, looking at the mat er fiom a oumiMWial point of view. It took all the riceipta to maintain it. There was not the slighest hope of tbe settlers ever agree-

ing to a further loan. Tbe harbour was, as a coastil harbour, fairly good; but was costly, as all such artificial harbours must be. Evn in Welliogton, with all its great natural advantages to a»ars witH, the port wm a oog'.ly one to ma'ntain. Y**' we oould not hopa to compute with Wellington. But a powerful syndicate such as that which propcs l d to e*tablish the ironworks he e, could rff<rd tu l«y out a large suta of money on the fint cost of suitable hirbour accommodation! which «ould bs a n«oessary adjunot to the succeis of their undertaking. Tb». establishment of works would be the means of attracting an enormous trade, rfquiiiog special facilities. The ratepayers would never vote for a loan, and the Hoard could not carry out any extension work on its present inoofltk. Even with £4OOO or £SOOO to spend annually on lengthening tbe breakwater, it would be many years before extra wbaif accommodation oould be provided, as nothiog oould be done uni til the wall was finished. The, Board ' wor now informed tbat a company was Jwest rea>ty to fl«tab'itsh au industry here, which would be of colonial importaoce; but that failing harbour facilities being provided, th» work* could not be ertced «t New Plymouth. If the Board, not beirg able to out tbe necessary work", refused to band th i h#rbour ov. r to the company, it would be saddled with tbe r<sponsibility of hiving driven a«ay a most

important industry. Mr Mclean se-onded, and spoke on similar lines to Mr Maxwell. i Mr Kins; stid Mr Oadman had struck the right no'je when he told the Hurbour Board that it was the proper body to oarry cut the work of exten* mod. If thu ironsand induatry waa to be established, members ahould da all they could 10 assist, but it w*s poisilde to buy a thing too dearly. It wotud b> tucidal for the ratepayers te band over i be valuable endowmen a and income of the harbour to a private oompany. Ou let M-iy, 1909, wh*n the present loan expirts, the sinking fund will be in round figures £60,000, leaving £140,000 to be refloated. interest on this at, nay, 4 per cent., would be ,£5600, and if either Mr Napier Bell's or Mr Marchant'n scheme for hsrb nr improvements was adopted and a further loan of £143,000 rased, there would btt another £5720 for interest (at 4 pnr cunt). Thus interest would total £11,320, and fir it we would havt i harbxir completed capib'e cf taking iu the lavgent vesee's trading to the o?l >ny. The land revenue for the past five )6\ri h»d averaged £5832 per annum. Endowments hid increuwd during thep»st year by £7ll 7s 7d, aud when the Mount E iot earth is clnared And the allotments lea«ed it was estimated a further sun of £BOO would be received annually. The total income from rcssives would then tie £IBOO. Receipts fr< m wharf• age and bertlmge had also increased from £2159 in 1890 to £6938 in 1901, ■ r by £4781 in eleven yeats, Even if the ratepayers were willing to part with the harbour tho Government would oever allow the Board to hand over the control. " It would," «aid Mr King, "bo a dang, reus pr*otdon% ard if were followed our ctiildreii's childieT would burn us in fffigy." Continuing, he siicl that somothiug like £SOOO h*d been paid for the »»nu pump. Where had this come from, if not out of the profits? Arid how mat>y millions, lilted Mr Kij.e, would it take to buy Kick the harbour at the eiid of the 58 years ? i'r Maxwell said it was never intended (-h.it the company should be jjiv-tin tho goodwill of the harbour. Mr Price mid he was sure ratepayers wmild come to tin rescue with a 1 jao twice over if it w.mld prevent iKiuiJiusj over the harbour to & company. No one would evr agree to a differential system of ratiug as had beeu suggested by Mr Maxwell. Mr Ward said no one could say now what the earning power of t.h«i harbour would be at th« t>nd of 56 yeas. But ha antioipa'od it would iuciu-se, if the iron works were a success, and it would oe a big piicu that our children would have to pay to get it back. Th« Bard ought to retain control if possible; but if it could cot carry out ne> % e>sary improvements then the aid of the company ahould be aocepted, 40 long *1

•charges, etc., were regulated properly. (But it would be a dangerous thiDg to 'hand 'h« harbour over Mr King: Then don't do it. Mr Ward: But I wish to see the place go ahead.

Mr Sartsn did not think it mattered much whether the harbour wag controlled by the Board or a company. Mr Ourtis agreed with Mr King, If the harbour fitre banded over to the company, and the iron worksproved successful, the company wouli be the gainer; if things went wron?, then the ratepayers would be the losers. For if the harbour woiks were not completed according to agreement the Board would bs in much the same position as the Government had be«n in regard to the Midland Railway. He would not agree to entering into a contract witli a fo.«ign company without some substantial earnest that it weuld carry out its obligations. So far as a further loan was concerned, Mr Curtis fearrd there was no chance of the ratepayers agreeing to it.

Mr Foreman said he had not much faith in the practicableness of the scheme outlined by Mr King. The question of goodwill would have to bi irquired into, and if it was found to be included in the company's proposal* then the bargain should be " off." He thought the company would be willing to accept, as a basis for the fixing of maximum charges, an average of those at the four big centres, plus 5 per cent., on account of the extra expense of building and maintaining the harbour here. Ttiis would not press heavily or the district. If at the end of 56 years the ratepayers were not willing to take back the harbour there could be no objection to letting the company continue to carry it on. He suggested putting the matter before the ratepayers, and would be sorry to place any obstacle in the way of the company getting to work.

The Chairman said Mi. Cadman was most emphatic in his statement that the Board vis the proper body to carry out the work. But he (Mr. Cosntt'.) had said: "Why aot float the company first ?" He felt that the ratepayers would than be more likely to agree to a loan to d < fhe wot k But Mr. Cadman wished to have the matter decided before he went buck to i£ngland. The figures he (Mr. Oonnett) had quoted were baaed on trade independent i.f the ironstnd industry, any increased returns from which would be a distinct gain to the Board. Mr. Maxwell having replied, the motion was put, and lost by six to three. The Ayes were Messrs, Foreman, Maxwell and McLean.

The Chairman then moved, That on the Board being satisfied that the proposed ironsand company is floated, immediate steps will be taken to secure a poll of tin ratepayers oh the subject of harbour extension.

Mr. Sartw seconded, and the motion was carried.