Taranaki Herald. MONDAY, APRIL 13, 1908. THE OPUNAKE HARBOUR.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13634, 13 April 1908, Page 4

Taranaki Herald. MONDAY, APRIL 13, 1908. THE OPUNAKE HARBOUR.

f At the meeting convened by Kirn at Opunate last week Mr. A. H. Moore, after defining his objections to the New Plymouth Harbour Bill, urged the promotion of an Opunake Harbour Bill, with a district having a valuation of £2,000,000, and with a view to the construction of protective works at Opunake. A resolution was, indeed, carried to this effect, though only* fourteen persons out of about fiifty present ' voted in favour of it;. Now let us make it clear at the outset that whatever the feeling of the Opunake people may be towards the harbour at Motufoa — and we can easily excuse some soreness over the rate they have had to pay for so many years— there is only one feeling, here * towards Opunake, and that of sympathy with any efforts that "may be made to improve the bay. Even if we are credited with the most sordid motive t that of self-interest —it is obvious that we here have everything to gain by Opunake being made more workable, and therefore must feel kindly towards

1 our friends. Moturoa is going to be a deep-sea harbour in the near future, with steam t communication up and down the coast, and it is essential for the carrying on of such a trade that the smaller harbours to north and south shall be worked easily, without such long delays as , occured recently in the case of the Muritai, which lay at Moturoa about twelve days waiting for an opportunity to work Opunake. Such delays will, be almost as annoying ' to our merchants when theyare consigning to Opunake as they are now to the people^ of that town. We feel, however, with the Hawera Star, that there is little prospect of success attending so ambitious a scheme as Mr. Moore has in view. To secure an area worth ,£2,000,000 it would be necessaiy to have very wide boundaries, end to include much country which would almost certainly object to be saddled with ah additional liability for a questionable benefit. Mr. Moore, we know, claims that no rate would be required, t>ut the liability, would exist. He is altogether too sanguine, also, in his estimates, of the trade to be done by the port. Assuming that ,£50,000 would be, ''spent in improving the harbour, paying five per cent, interest, he jijit tKe nnt ancial position thu&: — Dr v : Interest ,£2500, working expenses £1000, total 43500 per year. Cr. : 20,000 tons at 3s t £3ooo, endowments anil port charges £250, total £32&0; with a harbour,improvement fund, of sixpence a ton, bringing in £500 a year, to make up the deficiency. His estimate of 20,U00 tons pf trade handled is, we feel sure, excessive, 1 for that is more than Patea and Waitara handle, while thJ sum of £1000 for working expenses is too little. We cannot pretend to advise as to tlie best means of improving the facilities at Opunake, though we believe that a much more modest expenditure than that suggested would answer the purpose fairly well for trade with I^Tew Plymouth. Steamers hove, frequently to J>ass the bay now and cargo is sometimes weeks -on the way from Auckland before it can be landed. But much of this delay would be avoided if New Plyjuouth was the distributing centre, as it will be presently, and a comfortable sheltered berth at a jetty, with cool storage at hand for dairy produce would enable the trade to be carj ried on very much more regularly than under present conditions. Something of this kind was, probably in the mind\ of Mr. King when he included in the New Ply-, mouth Harbour Sill a clause allocating a sum of money for Opunake. This was struck out unceremoniously, but the Hawera Star says:— "We are not at" all sure that it was rfot worth more serious consideration. Criticism took the form of implying that the proposal was intended as a sop, but it is capable of a more generous construction than that." Whatever the intention,' it ;s quite certain that New Plymouth has everything to gain by "the improvement of Opunake bay,, for that will' be an important feeder of this harbour. JFor that reason, if for no other^ we hope to see such a scheme of- improvement brought -forward' as wilj. secure the hearty sympathy and cooperation of this end of the district. Naturally, we must be opposed to the cutting off of an area of country valued* at two millions sterling from the New Plymouth harbour district.