South Taranaki News

Taranaki Daily News, 5 April 1927, Page 2

South Taranaki News

• (From Our Own Reporter.)

Telephone No. 2705. P.O. Box 133.

SHIPPING AT PATEA FIFTY YEARS OF PROGRESS THE ANNIVERSARY FUNCTION. The fiftieth anniversary of the Patea Harbour Board was observed in a very fitting manner by a pleasant luncheon at the Central Hotel, Patea, yesterday, when a short toast list was honoured and many interesting reminiscences were related by past and present members of the board. Those present were: —Mr. A. T. Christensen (chairman of the board), presiding, and Messrs. C.-E. Bellringer, M.P. (chairman of the New Plymouth Harbour Board), H. G. Dickie, M.P. (exmember of the board), W. Morrison (de-puty-chairman of the Wanganui Harbour Board), C. H. Hurst (Opunake Harbour Board), C. J. Dickie (ex-mem-her), C. R. Honeyfield (chairman of the Patea Hospital Board), P. 8. Finlayson (Mayor of Patea), G. Williams (exMayor and councillor of the Patea Borough Council), G. V. Pearce (ex-chair-man of the board), A. Herbert (manager of the Bank of New South Wales), F. H. Hamel and R. C. Rutherford (solicitors to the board), Captain W. Tinney (harbourmaster), E. O. Horner (secretary to the board), A. H, Mercer (dredge master), W. C. Glenny (stevedore) and the following members of the board. Messrs. E. A. Pacey (Mayor of Hawera), A. N. A. H. S. Hodge, J. R. Corrigan, A. Pearee and W, H. Watkins. ” , The chairman welcomed those present, and explained that 50 years ago, on March 2, the first meeting of the Patea Harbour Board had been held in the courthouse. The personnel of that meeting had been Captain C. A. Wray and Messrs. W. Williams, J. 'Milroy and G. F. Sherwood. EARLY HISTORY OF BOARD. Later the board had attained its present strength of members. An engineer was engaged shortly after and in the following year the contract had been let for the breakwater for £BOOO. The board was indebted to the pioneers who had done so much in the interests of the board. In those days it had been difficult to raise money as the population was small and finances were also small, so that the borrowing of money was almost an impossibility. For the first 15 years the board had a hard time. The Government handed over to the board the moneys received from land sales and the first loan had been raised to erect a breakwater. This had been repaid in 15 years, a period of 16 years after the board started. There had been 54 members on the board since its inception, and Mr. Christensen referred to the long services to the board of Messrs. Shield and Deane.

With the commencement of the dairying industry trade had increased and improvements to the harbour had become imperative. The entrance over the bar had been poor and it had almost been a monthly occurrence to have a boat on the bar. There had, however, been no loss of life in any of these incidents. During Mr. G. V. Pearce’s term as chairman the board had gone in for a dredge, but the finances had been low at this time. Mr. Christensen said he had succeeded Mr. Pearce in 1912 and the hoard realised that the port had to be greatly improved. A rating area had then been arranged, a loan of £8'6,000 raised, and a contract for £72,000 let. The whole of the amount of money borrowed during the existence of the board had been £35,000 from the Government and £94,000 from other sources, making a total of £129,000. SERVICE TO THE DISTRICT. The progress of the port had been remarkable, said Mr. Christensen. In 1912 he had submitted a report to the board showing that Patea was progressing wonderfully.? In those days Patea had been the fifth port for export In New Zealand. In 1893 exports had amounted to £BO,OOO, but this had Increased to £2,166,700 in 1925. This showed that although other ports had gone ahead of late years Patea had not gone back and it was hoped to do better this year. “I am positive that the cost of this, improvement has been paid back two or three times to South Taranaki,” declared the speaker. -It had also benefited North Taranaki, he. said. The board knew it was impossible to go in for a deep sea port. They recognised they were only a feeder for the bigger ports and he felt sure that the time would come when Taranaki would carry three times the population of to-day. He thought dairy produce would be three times as much as at present, and this, he thought, within the next ■ 15 years. Mr. Christensen thought the time would come when the produce of the Dominions and dependencies would be sold before goods from other lands. This would happen even if a protective tariff had to be raised. The relationship between the neighbouring harbour boards was of the best. Of the 52 members who had been on the board 34 were dead. He then read out the names of all the members of the board and remarked that it had been his honour to act as chairman of the board for the past 15 years. Mr. Christensen paid a tribute to the loyalty and co-operation of the members of the board, and said there had been many men of wide experience on the board. The assembly then drank the health of the old members of the board. PATEA OLDER THAN WELLINGTON. Mr. G. V. Pearee congratulated the present members on the excellent finances of the board. He said only one boat had been wrecked on the coast and that was more the fault of the boat than the harbour. He had had a good deal of experience in regard to Jiarbours in New Zealand since he had been on the Local Bills’ Committee, and he stated he had piloted the Bill through the House giving the board power to rate “There’s one thing you can all see in the harbour, and that is the ‘crook’ in the west wall,” said Mr-. Pearce. Hq explained that an expert engineer had run the two walls out so that they would have met. One engineer had recommended a bigger tidal basin and this was a good idea. In proposing the', toast,,to “parliament,” Mr. Hodge . gave;. a .very, /interesting and lucid explanation-. of.miihe

growth of the British Parliament, concluding with some remarks about the New Zealand Parliament. At this stage the chairman read a letter of apology from Mr. Cohen, chairman of the Wellington Harbour Board, in which he pointed out that the Patea Board was three years older than the Wellington board. In responding to the toast of “Parliament,” Mr. H. G. Dickie said New Zealand had many important post-war problems. He maintained that New Zealanders were the best clad and best cared for members of the British ■ Empire. ’ Mr. Christensen had been the chairman oi the Patea board during the whole of Mr. Dickie’s term on the board, and he said a great debt of gratitude was owing to Mr. Christensen,for his valuable work and his services to the district. POSITION OF NEIGHBOURING BOARD Mr. C. E. Bellringer said there were many problems coming before Parliament and in them were difficulties whieh were not apparent to outsiders. He paid a tribute to the assistance given the younger - members of Parliament by the older members. Mr. J. R. Corrigan, in proposing the toast of neighbouring harbour boards, referred to the progress of Wanganui, New Plymouth and Opunake, and -wished them every success. Mr. W. Morrison conveyed the congratulations of the Wanganui board to Patea. He said Wanganui had a lot in common with Patea, as both were rivet ’’ports. He remarked that the revenue at Wanganui had exceeded all expectations and- the Wanganui board had. never had to strike a rate yet. The chief trouble at Wanganui was with the basin. They had been somewhat disappointed in the dredge, since it was not designed to meet the requirements of the harbour. He thought that the making of a deep-sea port at Wanganui was only a question of time. The engineer had a scheme by which he hoped to .prevent the silting up of the harbour.

Mr. Morrison advised the Patea board not to levy an increased export duty, since this might tend to divert produce to a cheaper port. Mr. C. H. Hurst said the present was a unique occasion, probably for the Dominion. The Opunake harbour was only in its early stagqs. If they had only known as much at the commencement of operations the harbour could have been constructed at a much less cost. “I don’t think Patea’s done too bad.” concluded Mr. Hurst. Mr. Bellringer remarked that the Patea and New Plymouth harbours were of much the same age. He said the district eould .congratulate itself on the success achieved. He pointed out that the pioneers had never any idea that ships of such draught would berth in Taranaki harbours, “THE SUPPORTING INDUSTRIES.” The prosperity of one district was always reflected in the adjacent districts and it was the duty of the secondary ports to “pull together.” On behalf of the New Plymouth Board he conveyed congratulations to Patea. His board had not struck a rate for the past 18 years, .since the revenue from the port had met all charges, and they hoped they would not have to do so in the future. He was pleased to express the pleasure of the northern district at the success of Patea, “The Kindred Local Bodies” was the toast proposed by Mr. A. N. Williams, who referred to the support given to the harbour by the local bodies. In his response, Mr. P. S. Finlayson, Mayor of Patea, said that it had been his good fortune for the past seven or eight years to have been associated with the Patea Borough Council. He extended the hearty congratulations of the borough to the harbour 'board on its completion of 50 years’ service to the district.

Mr. C. R. Honeyfleld, chairman of the Patea Hospital Board, added his congratulations and endorsed the remarks of Mr. Finlayson. Mr. Finlayson referred to the important part played by “the supporting industries,” which, lie said, were the lite of the existence of the towns and. incidentally the harbour boards. He referred particularly to the dairying and freezing industries, on which the Patea harbour depended for its existence. “It is the primary industries of New Zealand that we are to look to for our prosperity,” declared Mr. Finlayson. These industries had to be watched most closely and encouraged as much as possible. He had previously been interested in the shipping industry in Auckland and he declared that the big liners from Home spent far too much time on the New Zealand coast. He pointed out the necessity for the -smaller ports to cooperate and send their produce to the lew bigger ports for transhipment to Home liners rather than that these ships should call at many small ports for small consignments. This, he said, would eliminate the expensive delay of Home liners, which expense had to be borne by the man on the land. HARBOUR OFFICIALS HONOURED. Mr. C. J. Dickie said the freezing industry in Patea had met a .good deal of trouble, but it had been a privilege and a pleasure to him to meet such men as Mr. Christensen. “This season,” he said, “has been a record one for the Patea works.” He thanked the farmers of the district for the support given to the works which, he said, was one ot the oldest in New Zealand. Mr. W. H. Watkins, representing the farming industry, said it was up to every man in New’ Zealand to help the farmer. By so doing he was helping himself. “The Officials of the Harbour Board” was in the hands of Mr. E. A. Pacey, who said the district was very fortunate to have so capable a man as chairman of the board as Mr. Christensen. He, himself, he said, had served on the board for the past twelve years, and during that time Mr. Christensen had been in the chair. Referring to the officials of the board Mr. Pacey said the secretary, Mr. E. O. Horner, had taken ever the position from his father, who had been a great local body man. Captain. Tinney had served the board very well for the past 21 years. He paid a tribute to the board’s solicitors and the bankers. “The dredge, I think, was one of the best moves we made-.' The cost of running the ! dredge-Was gone down under the management -at -the present dredgje-

master and crew from £2500 to £1200” concluded Mr. Pacey, who added: “This toast includes every man-jack of the officials and staff.” GROWTH OF PORT’S BUSINESS. In reply, Mr. Horner said many described the Batea harbour as a worthless institution but, he pointed out, in looking up the records, which were scanty prior to 1887, in 1887 corn, grassseed fungus, flax, etc., which were hardly heard of now, had been handled in large quantities. Wool had been one of the principal exports from the start, and now butter and cheese were the greatest. In 1887, 1552 bales of wool had been exported and in 1804, 6043 bales, but this had decreased to 800 bales in 1926. In 1887, 1544 boxes of butter and cheese had been exported, but this had increased to 11,632 tons, of cheese and 1080 tons of butter. Last year the value of exports had amounted to £2,500,000. The annual saving to the people of South Taranaki by the port was £la,000, said Mr. Horner. Touching on imports, he said in 1887 the goods imported amounted to 3221 tons, in 1007 12,480 tons, and the greatest imports had been unloaded in 1910, when 14,476 tons had been handled. In 1888 only 62 boats had visited the port, but this number had increased to 166 in 1900 and 239 in 1909, while the number had fallen to 174 in 1926. Captain Tinney said the first entrance he had made to Patea was in 1890, and he gave an interesting description of the crossing of the bar. “The harbour is improving all the time,” he said, and he pointed out that there was little danger of accident nowadays. Mr. W. C. Glenny said he had watched the growth of the port for many years. He remembered the ti,me when it was possible to walk in practically any part of the river. Messrs A. H. Mercer (dredge-master), A. Herbert (manager of the Bank of New South Wales), F. H. Hamel, R. C. Rutherford (board’s solicitors), also added their congratulations to the harbour board. “The Shipping Companies” was proposed by Mr. A. Pearce and respond' ’ to by Messrs A. H. Hodge and A. Williams. The function concluded with the toast of the Press, proposed by Mr. A. T. Christelisen, and the chairman of the board, Mr. A. T. Christensen, proposed by Mr. P. S. Finlayson. WEDNESDAY FOOTBALL. CITY CLUB'S ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of the City (Wednesday) Rugby Football Club was held last night at the borough chambers, when Mr. D. Strachan presided over a fair attendance. The annual report stated that the clu'b had had a successful year, beinjr runners-up in the Wednesday competition, in which they had won seven out of the nine matches played. They had also won the Elgar Cup and had been runners-up in the seven-a-side to&fnament at Patea. The annual balance-sheet showed a satisfactory credit balance. The credit of the insurance fund at the Post Office Savings Bank was also satisfactory.

The thanks of the club were due to all the outgoing officers, to the auditor, Mr. C. J. Cummings, and the ladies who had helped with a number of dances and other functions in aid of the insurance and jersey funds. Thanks were also due to the coach (Mr. A. Elgar). Satisfaction was expressed at the consideration shown by the Taranaki Rugby Union.

Deep regret was felt at -having to record the untimely death of the late W. Bryant. To Mr. A. Elgar, who had taken over the secretaryship at the latter end of the season, was due the special thanks of the club.

In referring to the state of the club’s finance, which showed a small loss' on the year’s work, due largely to nonpayment of subscriptions, Mr. Elgar moved that the club dispense with the appointment of a list of vice-presidents and adopt the course of employing honorary membership tickets at a cost of ss, entitling holders to admission to all club games in Hawera. The motion was carried.

The election of officers resulted as follows:—Patron, Mrs. Gibson; president, Mr. A. Sutton; vice-president, Mr. A. Bryant; treasurer, Mr. J. Gallagher; honorary auditor, Mr. C._ A. Cummings; honorary surgeon, Dr, R. G. B. Sinclair; secretary, Mr. E. Hart; delegate to the union, Mr. A. Elgar; management committee, Messrs A. Carncroes, A. McBeth, A. Bryant, G. Mclntyre, W. Ritter; club captain, Mr. R. Goodwin; selectors, Messrs A. Elgar and J. Gallagher. About six new members were elected.

Subscriptions for the ensuing year were fixed at 5s for senior members and 2s 6d for juniors. On the motion’ of Mr. Elgar it was decided to place the insurance funds on fixed deposit in the Commercial Bank of Australia for six months and, after tho close of the season’s play, such account to be called the benefit fund and to be operated by the president and treasurer.

The opening day is set down. for Wednesday, April 6, for which it was decided that players should contribute to the 'benefit fund 6d instead of Is, as in competition matches. The honorary auditor, Mr. C. J. Cummings, was voted a donation of 10s 6d, in recognition of his services. With reference to the insurance fund, it was suggested that players be levied Is per game and Is for travelling expenses. It was pointed out that last year the drawings on the fund had only amounted to £3, whereas the season before last claims had been paid up to £3O, hence the necessity for providing for a safe reserve. Votes of thanks were passed to Mr. A. Elgar -for the use of his premises for committee meetings, and to the retiring president (Mr. D. Strachan). SOCCER FIXTURES. Soccer activities to commence on April 9 for the first half of the season are as follow: , JULIAN CUP. Southern Division. April 9.—Manaia v. Hawera; Stratford v. Auroa. April 30.—Hawera v. Stratford; Auroa v. Manaia. May 14.—Stratford v. Manaia; Auroa v. Hawera. May 28. —Manaia v. Stratford; Hawera v. Auroa. , June 4.—Auroa v. Stratford; Hawera iv. Manaia. June 11. —Stratford v. Hawera; Manaia v. Auroa. I All of these matches are to be played pn the Jrbundis of the first-named club.

GENERAL ITEMS. As the result of a collision at 6.15 last night, between a taxi driven by Mr. A. Vinten, of Glover Road, Hawera, and a motor cycle ridden by a young man named Thomas Bayley, aged 19, at the corner of Camberwell Road and Egmont Street, Bayley was admitted to the public hospital suffering from a broken leg. Neither the car nor the motor-cycle was severely damaged. A slight accident occurred in Union Street, Hawera, yesterday morning, when a greyhound rushed out in front, of a passing motor-cycle ridden by Mr. A. Cressey, the cycle passing over the aniriial and, it is understood, breaking its back. The rider was brought to the ground but, beyond a few scratches, was uninjured, nor was»the cycle damaged. There are still numbers of motorcar owners and drivers who have yet to renew their driving licenses. At the Hawera county office last year over 2000 licenses were issued, while for this year there have been only 700 issued. The borough council records also show a laxity, there having been 700 issued last year, as against only 500 at present this year. PERSONAL ITEMS. Mr. W. Park left for Wellington by the express yesterday on a business trip. Mr, C. P. Callister, chief of the laboratory staff of the Kraft Walker Cheese Company, Proprietary, Ltd., Melbourne, is at present a visitor to Hawera. He will leave to-day, Mr. Lance Harding, who met with an accident with a motor-car a week ago, is reported to be progressing, favourably. Mrs. John Hanston, district commissioner of the Girl Guide movement, left yesterday morning to attend a conference at Christchurch. Mr. R. J. Barrett, of the Hawera Magistrate’s Court staff, has, been appointed maintenance officer for the court under the provisions of the Destitute Persons’ Act. The Otakeho Hall to-night should be a scene of enjoyment on the occasion of the “supreme initial ball.” The Otakeho Hall is a building of which the residents of that district may well be proud and on the occasion of the first ball no effort has been spared to make the occasion a most successful one. The programme is a varied one and will include several novelty dances. The music and supper will be of the best, and patrons are assured of a good time.