FORT OF KAIAPOI.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16714, 21 April 1922, Page 8

FORT OF KAIAPOI.

COUNTIES WISH TO WITHDRAW. A BIG DEPUTATION | A movement for the disintegration of the Kaiapoi harbour area was launched to-day at 11-angiora when a. very largo deputation representative of many northern counties, waited on the Hoir G. -J. Anderson, Minister of Marine, to ask for the withdrawal of their counties from the harbour area. Messrs G. W. Forbes and D. .Jones, At.P.’s were present with the Minister. Mr Forbes, who introduced tile deputation, said that the northern counties j had gone into the question of the harbour scheme, and had come to the conclusion that they would not get the slightest benefit from it, while they would incur very considerable expense. They had interviewed Sir Francis Bell. I "ho had said that as the counties wen included in the area and a poll had been taken and a loan sanctioned the Government could not interfere except possibly in regard to tho raising of the money. The harbour area had been determined with the concurrence of j the chairmen of the counties, but tho I people of the counties were not con - I suited. The then chairman of the Wai- ! para County, who was an enthusiast | in favour of the scheme, had influenced j the judgment of the rest, and no interest had been taken in the poll. The vote, in fact, had been very small, ex-

cept in Kaiapoi, aiul-the loan would not hav© been sanctioned but for the indifference of the counties. The depression that- had descended on the I country made the rates a serious matter, and in the six counties the majority of the land owners were strong!v against the proposal. While not holding themselves free from blame for what had been done they were now opposed to inclusion. Mr H. M. Anderson, chairman of the Waipara County Council, said that ! Unipara, Cheviot, Amuri and Oxford! counties had presented petitions to Sir ! Francis Bell asking that they should I be allowed to withdraw, and a similar 1 petition from Ashley was in the hands I of Colonel E. B. Million. The fact, I that the loan poll was carried was due | to the borough franchise. On a county franchise it would have been rejected. I In nil voting the country man svas at | a disadvatage in the matter of getting j to the poll. the deputation did not. I wish to involve a. large district in the scheme without a full majority vote of ! those concerned. It might sound undemocratic to issue voting tickets, but ! rt would ensure a true vote. f r H- ' - Sevan, of the Amuri County VP unci I, said that Sir Francis Bell had given a small deputation to understand that it was not necessary

to go on with the petition for withdrawal as he was in sympathy with the deputation s view. In two ridings the petition for withdrawal had been almost unanimously carried, and the County Council favoured withdrawal by a majority of two votes. Amuri was eighty-nine miles from Lyttelton, and sixty-mne miles from Kaiapoi, and the difference in railage between the. two centres was only about f d a ton. Amuri was almost entirely a sheep district, exporting wool and meat, and to get the advantage of Amuri’s contribution teirwi i* to ship almost 10.000 tons. Some time ago the Ministei of Marine had asked for Amuri's reasons for withdrawal, and should have received them about five weeks ago. It seemed to him curious that Canterbury settlers should have to contribute to a speculative scheme whien would be of no benefit to them, as it was merely developing a harbour 100 ~ * Vr „’', • , C'. Henderson, chairman of the Oxford County Council, said it was hardly correct to suggest that the chairmen of local bodies had pledged their counties to the scheme. Oxford

could see no benefit in the new port, tor the meat and wool had to go to Li ttelton, while timber and coal would come m future through the Otira tunnel. Mr Stevenson, chairman of the Cheviot County Council, said that liis distnct had been distinctly unfavourable to the loan, and about 05 per cent of 1 the ratepayers had signed a petition i tor severance. Originally ho was m favour of the scheme, but since learnmg the feeling of the ratepayers he was against it. Mr Anderson said that there had neon a belief among some of tho Councillors when the Act was passed that it the county voted against the loan it would be left out. N„ mnUer , vl3at rate was struck it would come heavy I on the counties. Wai para had a valuation of four and a quarter millions;! v inch was a quarter of the value of 1 a M r ‘' hr a e ,f reil ; i . Amuri over two i am- a halt millions, Cheviot bne and three-quarter millions, Oxford consul- j ( .! '* ' °' 01 ono million and Ashlev over three-quarters of a million. Together they were valued at ten and threequarter millions, and the remaining counties did not amount to four and a half millions. Therefore tho far-away ' bill men, as far as the Conway river i were being called on to pay for a port ill winch they had no interest. 1 “Were you aivare this Bill was lie i fore Parliament?” said the Minister, j lb , i r , 'o aWa h V, the North Island at the time said Mr Anderson, who added that Rangiora county had now jmned in the movement for separation, as although it had carried the loan poll hi ten votes, only about 200 voted out ot a roll number of 600 or 700.

~ Robcr Brown, of Anmri,' said th.it his county had to pav £BOO a Te-u whereas .Kaiapoi had carried the poll by the agency of half and quarteracre section owners, and Kaiapoi only contributed £0(1. If h c were Minister a. Marine, he would put his foot down 327 all bar harbours. Mr T. H. Wilkinson. Cheviot, said that if a local liarbour was of anv us -1 to Cheviot, it was already made at Ivaikourn. thirty-eight miles away. -Mr b. Horrell. chairman of the Bnngiorn County Council, said that -,f the northern counties succeeded in withdrawing, nothing was left to support the scheme, and it would he quite unfair tor Kangiora coming in with a smaller area and a correspond in <d v larger amount. The harbour scheme would be a millstone round the neck of the county, for the dairv farmers had to send their produce Home by wav of By fc tel toil. The railways were not paving, and it was unwise, from a Government point of view, to make harbour* to compete with them. He quoted from a report by the Commission to tbe effect that the district was already well served by rail, and that the harbour would benefit Kainnoi principally Mr T, TV a ns. of Kaiapoi chairman of th« Harbour Board asked whether Mr HorvelT was present by resolution of hi si council. ‘ 1 T have got no anthoritv. ,s said Afr HeTTval? “ b”t T take it- nnoti rnvself ” Mr w A Banks paid that he had always: sunnorfed the TCaianoi Harbour, and it was futile to sav that the northern conn ties did not knew 'what was heinrr done The rest of the harbour be a bagatelle compared with the volume of trade passing. He in stnneed the eace of a men din «ent shipment- of grass seed from Kaianni I di —r.f to Hoxtor. pnd Tmd «j,yn i • rnilw a- and n+he, freights; tbe

I ! a throe weeks’ holiday for himself and j his wife in Canterbury and £4 into the bargain. It was too late in the day to withdraw from a scheme that was well know'n to everybody who could read and write. Mr Anderson then read to the Minister the following resolution, carried by the meeting before the Minister’s arrival That before a loan is sanctioned by. the Marino Department, this meeting of representatives of Amuri, Waipara, Cheviot, Ashley and Oxford counties request the Marine De • partment to set up a commission of inquiry or investigation into the whole aspect of the Waimakariri Harbour Board new deed, as empowered by the Amendment Act of 1920, the ways and means adopted for our inclusion in the said area to ascertain if there be any need or necessity for another port than Tv t, tel ton by llie above mentioned counties and for the dissatisfaction caused by the increase of rates by the impending loan. THE MINISTER S REPLY. The Minister in reply said that the . Act establishing the harbour avh.-* passed in 1915 or 1916 and was amended in 1920. It was a local Bill and the law provided that such a Bill must be advertised and made public in every possible way, and then go before the Local Bills Committee of both Houses to enable objectors or others to give evidence on it. Every newspaper in the district gave publicity to the matter, aid therefore when the deputation -nine to him and Mr Eorbes, both old Parliamentarians, and said that they Jid not know, they took it with a grain }f salt. The northern counties eviientlv had made a mistake—they had lot bothered about the matter at the critical time. He had no power to titer what Parliament had decreed, hut vhat had been done by a local Bill •ould be undone by a local Bill. It was

for the counties concerned to take action. “ You are in the same position as a man who has had a night out,” the i Minister added, ‘‘and has a had head j ache in the morning.” He added that j the counties should oo into the matt.ci I of having the law altered. Parliament ; would never pass a local Bill to which I there was any strong opposition. Ther» | I had been absolutely no opposition to the ; Harbour Bill, and everybody in Parli't- ; ment thought they were a happy family. ! At present he had no power to do j what was asked. What the deputation : was suffering from was common j throughout Canterbury—people took i no interest in a matter, and then found i out afterwards that it pinched them When the matter of raising a loan came up. lie would consider it. Mr Horrell : What is to prevent the board from raising the loan? The Minister: One trouble at a time T will do what is considered right in the interests of the community, but I don’t know my position at present. I may - say, in looking over the district, that, ,

there must have been a fair amount of interest in the matter to produce a rote of 891 for and 640 against. Mr Farlies pointed out that on the Harbour Board the counties would have a majority, but for the fact that there we.ro two Government nominees, who might vote for the raising of the money. 44 The Government nominees have the same voting power as any other member.” said the Minister. Mr Forbes said that there was a feeling that these nominees might lend themselves to rushing an expenditure which the counties objected to. The Minister said tliat the Government had no power over its nominees, who were there to watch the interests of the whole of the public. He added (after looking through the Bill) that there was no power for the Minister to sanction or refuse a loan, which could be raised anywhere ; but he would men- I tion the matter to the Minister of Finance I Mr Forbes said that the situation re- | minded him of Gulliver’s travels, when Gulliver lav down in lAlliput, and was bound down, while asleep, by the Lilliputinns. The northern giant had been bound down by Statute and the next step was to promote a local bill. The Minister would understand the position when it come up in Parliament. He thanked him very much for meeting the deputation.