HARBOUR LOAN CHANGE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 450, 16 December 1930, Page 6

HARBOUR LOAN CHANGE

MOVE FOR THREE SECTIONS DISCUSSION BY THE BOARD Important statements with regard to the proposed loan for the Wanganui Harbour were made at yesterday’s meeting of the Board by the chairman, Air J. T. Hogan, ALP. A lengthy discussion followed. Air Hogan stated that be had seen Mr Park, chairman of the Local Bodies Loans Board with regard to the loan. That Board had been very reluctant to remove or modify the tag on the Harbour Board loan. The speaker proposed that the loan should be divided into three issues- The first should be for £50,000 which would be for the raising of the moles and for the paying of the Admiralty. The second would be for £50,000, for the purchase of the dredge and the third for £90,000, for the extension of the moles. The amounts the chairman pointed out, were only approximations, to give an idea of the proposal. It would be left to the public tu chouse. The moles should be raised and the Admiralty paid. Let the people turn down the dredge without turning down the raising of the mules, it they wanted to- With regard to the extending of the moles, he said that they could vote on that quite separately. Air Park had rather' liked the idea. If they brought the matter forward on those lines, then they would have a big possibility of getting th? tag removed or at least modified, in connection with the raising of the moles or the paying of the Admiralty, and, yrhaps for the purchase of the dredge. Whether the Loans Board would approve of the extension of the moles was another matter. The chair-' man said that he asked that authority.! Air W. J. Rogers said that he would move accordingly.

Mr Higginbottom's Views Air P. Higginbottom said that he would second the motion. He considered that it was very good work. There were a lot of pt'ople who desired to rec lhe port, as it was at present open for boats up to 6,000 tons, retained. He felt certain that if it were dealt with as a separate, issue it would l e carried. Under the present circumstances it was futile to expect that the £90,000 for the extension ot the moles, or even the £50,000 for the dredge would be carried- When the results of the first amount became apparent, public opinion might change. The position was that it was any one out of the three, or two out of the three. Mr Donald Ross said that he would vote against it. The Board would not get itMr Higginbottom: We will get one of them. Mr Ross Speaks Mr Boss said that tliev should go for li smaller loan. The £50,000 was not ncecssary. The sum to be paid to the Admiralty on the dredge was £13,000 and it. would take £12,000 to raise the molesThe chairman said that he had stated £50,000 as an approximation. Afr Ross said that he was not taking any notice of what others had said at the meeting. The motion seemed to be aimed at getting large vessels into the port. That, he considered, was moving in the wrong direction. The port had been going back for the last five years- If that was so, then what prospect had they of getting the bigger vessels?

The chairman said that the month of October had been the harbour’s biggest month. In reply to another statement by Air Ross, the chairman said that the public should judge whether it was any use going for the large expenditure. Air Ross said that he maintained that there were a great number that did not know what they were talking about. The chairman: I agree with you there. Mr Ross said that if they were going ahead then he would support even up to £300,000 if they wanted it. What was the use of taking the tag off, It. was the only safeguard the ratepayers had. The Local Bodies Loans Board was to save those huge sums of money that had been spent round New Zealand Air Hogan said that Air Ross was leaving out the consideration of all the abnormal conditions. Could The Harbour Repay? Mr Ross said that there was no more chance of the harbour paying for the loan than he had of jumping up to the moon. The Board would never be able to pay the expense that was being advocated. The chairman thought that if they got the money then they would! do wonders, but they could not get blood out of a stone. Afr J. Morrison asked where the produce came from that went through Wellington. Where was the land round Wellington i Wellington was a sea port, said Air Ross, Wanganui was a ditchAir Higginbottom asked if it were a fact that Mr Ross was in favour of the raising of the moles being completed and the payments on the Kaione being made. Mr Ross’ Recommendations Al r Ross replied that he was in favour of building the moles. He would say that if they did not they would sec the south mole in the sea. The material of which it. was built was too lightAnd it would not keep the sea out. He was in favour of building to those moles to the proper height. The Board should get the money for the moles and get the money for the Kaione. They would be paying interest on the Kaione anyway. The moles should be in a condition to keep the Now Zealand trade.

Mr Hogan said that if they went so far with the raising of the moles then the public would see the advisability of doing more.

The motion was put to the meeting and carried.