The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 1903.

Taranaki Herald, Volume L, Issue 12167, 16 January 1903, Page 4

The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 1903.

THE BREAKWATER TRAD IS. 1 " The statistics we published on Thmiday with .regard io the breakwater trade, While in most respects satisfactory-, show that as far us ckj>or.ts are concerned the trade of the pqrt is faUing'"olL"~* 'The' total exports for 1902 Amounted, to -9545 tons, iho $inallest since 1896, .and more, than '2DOOtons less than in 1900. The main 1 cause of this falling off is that JPatea, is taking a large share of. the blotter trade, while most of tho cheese is now being railed to Wellington, jLast summer, too, there was iifctlo r.ij .no grass seed .exported, farmers ihul&g.it' more profitable to graze" their 1 paddocks with milch cows tlmu to I run lihe risks attendant upon saviug grass seed in large areas. To the country at large th,ere is apparently lit tie or no cause for lamenting -fins i decrease in the exports from '*he hroakwater ; the country is, more productive and more prosperous than ever, and the* produce is got' away. What is to be feared^ 1 hbwever,' is' that the decrease will have the effect of . hindering the extension of the, harbour and indirectly the development of the district. It must be patent to every one that the possession of a safe harbour at Moturoa, withjaccominodation for direct liners, would be an immense benefit to the province.- It would bring about a considerable saving in freights/- equal in the aggregate to many thousands a year. On dairy produce alone the saying would amount ,to about £4000 a year on the present production, while on the frozen meat, wool, tallow, and other produce there would be probably an equal saving. Dairy produce would not be charged with coastal freight, and the frozen meat, etc., which is now shipped at Waitara,, often under very great difficulties, would be ' handled much more effectively^ and cheaply if ; the vessels could be brought, alongside. a wharf. The result would undoubtedly be to the advantage t oi the Waitara works and of /the shippers of the meat and wodl. In addition* ' to' 4ifee saving on exports, direct importation would be a direct Jadvan^ tago and*/ would place New Plymouth in a position to d,o a mucET larger wholesale trade than it does at' ipresent. It is because the exports of the province are now shipped from three or- four jborts that - 'these 7 prospective savings cannot be effected. The' whole trade wo.uld amply justify the -construction' of a much more .expensive harbour than is required at Iffoturoa, and it would be as much for the benefit of, .the. whole country as for /that of New' Plymouth. It is,, however, for New Plymouth to show the way." If we .have not the requisite faith; and enterprise . here how can the country be expected to rise 'to the occasion ? In oiKef '^respects, as we said before, the "statistics of the trade are -satisfactory. The usefulness of the jport as a channel for / imports is steadily extending 1 , the increase last year over 1901 being- 4>ver 5000 tons, . the greatest increase ever recorded. The; pas?^eng:e t ti f^ffic/i9^gi^wi»g;*'afitiply, jproving the popularity of the route J be» tween' North, and South. The increas-. Ed number last year was nearly' 5000 over the previous year. The Board's revenue "is .also- gfcowjng satisfactorily, and there is; a considerable margin, between revenue and working expenses, which might either be devoted' to , extension pf the breakwater by .'degrees or to meet interest op a further -loan, whichever course is decided upon in future. ' ' '