DUNEDIN DILEMMA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 287, 7 May 1914, Page 6

DUNEDIN DILEMMA.

NEAT REPLY BY HON. W. H. HURRIES. Dunedin, May a. A deputation, consisting of Mr. H. E. Moller, chairman of the Otago Harbor Board, and several members of the Board, waited on the Hon. W. 11. Hcrries, Minister of Railways, at Port Chalmers this afternoon, to urge a reduction in freights on the Dunedin-Port Clialm ors line, and to request the Department to widen the George street pier at Port Chalmers, so that the Board might proceed with the deepening of the berth, and ultimately make it able to accommodate vessels drawing 30ft of water. In reply, Mr. Herries said that the whole of this proposition, so far as he could see, depended upon the policy that the board was going to pursue. It was practically a new board now, and it seemed to hiih that the question resolved itself into whether they were going to make their principal harbor at Port Chalmers or at Dunedin. It would not be a business proposition if the Department went to the expense of widening the wharf, and the board, on its part, deepened the berth, if they were going to get the big ships up at Dunedin. The same thing applied in regard to the rates on tho railway. The Department was not sure that it was not going to get competiion, afer lowering the rat.es, by big ships going up to town. The question of the rates on the railway'would, however, be carefully considered, though he did not say that they would reduce thorn. The Department was prepared to meet them if it knew exactly what the policy of the board , was. Since he had taken office he had not been able to> fathom the policy of the board as to whether it was going to make Dunedin or Port Chalmers the port of Otago.. Before it got that, in-' formation he did not think the Department should commit itself to an expenditure which might later prove to be practically useless.