PORT FACILITIES

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVI, Issue 23014, 4 October 1944, Page 4

PORT FACILITIES

Hutt Valley Area

(N.Z.P.A.) WELLINGTON, Oct. 3. “I think we can survey the problem from the point of view of national Interests without losing sight of local and sectional interests,” said the chairman of the Hutt Valley Harbour Commission, Sir Francis Frazer, commenting on the submissions made at the conclusion of the hearing of evidence tendered to the commission today. The chairman said the Commission would consider its report, which would be completed at the earliest opportunity. It had been submitted that much of the evidence had been tinged with sectional and local considerations, and that the Wellington Harbour Board had been unsympathetic to the

proposal. It was urged on behalf of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce that if it should be established that port facilities in the Hutt Valley area were not feasible or desirable in the near future, steps should be taken to ensure that in the physical planning of areas contiguous to the port rites, no. development should be allowed which would make it impossible to provide such an installation at some future date.

The chairman: We have in our minds dealing in our report with the amount of reclamation which sh.uld be undertaken in the area so th, it would not interfere with any establishment of a harbour in the future. It was also submitted that no extensions to the Lambton harbour faci ties involving major capital expend, lire should be authorised without giving full consideration to the strong possit lity of a Hutt Valley port being necessary at some future date.

The Government town planner, Mr J. W. Mawson, said the most impo: ant thing to be considered was future national interests.