THE HARBOUR QUESTION.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13671, 9 April 1908, Page 3

THE HARBOUR QUESTION.

A WAIMATEVIEW.* Writing to the Opiinake Times on harbour .matters, Mr W. G. Wells, of the Waimate Plairis, asks: — Are We t>repared to construct a harbour ttyat will accommodate the large steamers now trading between Wellington and Auckland, that we may;hav.e the pnvilege of dealing with tWpse centres ot commerce, when we will shortly, have in «ew Plymouth an equal advantage at a short distance— a mere matter or a few hours? Of eou}'*ei.we(kßow there are some people who say New Plymouth will never be a port for the Home boats to call £t. The same gfcrt: of cry was raised a few, years ago that the breakwater Would f all into the sea, but we have not heard jn-ntfh df that lately. If the people of Taranaki will pull together for once and build a harboiu as they have in Titnarti arid Napier, there will be no trouble about getting the steamers to call from any part of the world. New Plymouth is the natural centre of the West Coast of the Nortli Island. North of New Plymouth small steamers are now trading up the coast, if, we want small steamers trading toftW&A Patea and New Plymouth. Opunake is only a few hours' run from the breakwater, and could soon run our produce there, and there would be. plenty of freight. Our factories have a problem before them in th© near future of getting cheaper fuel, and there is plenty of coal at the Mokau, while a little further up thft c"onst there are thousands of tons of lime-stone, and lime is badly needed in our spil, atid a good dressing on the small paddocks round the homesteads would kill jtho germs o disease that ore destroying many of the best of our calves every year. There are many things thato, cnoap water service would do f for/ Opunake which would more than repay any rote that] we may have to pay to make the harbour at New Plymouth available for ocean steamers. But the Opunake progrnmmn will doubtless be—block at all cost advance of Now Plymouth; we have paid rates 0 too long for that harbour t now we must run no risk of get-

| ting any advantage of their port. Wellington can ship all our produce, and / Pate* 'Hdt^ffcr away. 1 In a few years, by having our own harbour district, we ca.n build a large harbour and have a heavy rate ail of our own. No, Sir. Secure New Plymouth as a shipping centre; and then sufficient accommodation for small boats at Opunake, and run them often, ( and it will better^ s"uit our needs and tlio. district from Warea to Manaia.,