HARBOUR BOARD

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXII, Issue 45, 22 April 1927, Page 5

HARBOUR BOARD

ADDRESS BY MR CHAMBERS. SUPPORTED BY OTHER SPEAKERS - J , V ' Mr W. A. Chambers, the sitting member of the Napier Harbour Board, as the Waipukurau and County representative addressed a small audience of electors in the Municipal Theatre last-night. , Cr. John Warren presided and introduced the speaker as a veteran member of the Harbour Board. Mr Chambers said that Hawke’s Bay required an up-to-date harbour to counter the concentration of shipping in the large ports, and he would continue to fight for this objective. He pointed out that the tendency was for shingle to travel northwards. In 1883 a plan had been submitted in. favour, of an Inner harbour, carrying a prize of £5OO as one of the competitive list, but the proposal had not ifbund favour in Hastings Street circles. When Mr J. J. V. Brown was the chairman the breakwater scheme was carried on out of revenue and at. the expense of the country By the Board’s present'-policy in two years time there should not be any need to collect a rate for any loans raised. There had not been authority to collect a rate, which was only pledged as security. In interest the Board had been called upon to find in all £500,000 for"" Breakwater loans, and together with interest totalled £1,050,000. Messrs Cullen

and Keele., eminent engineers had ad-, vised that no great difficulty would be experienced in carryiny out the Inner Harbour, as there was no menace from sand-drift. Reclamation would be a very valuable asset incidental to deepening the channel to the Inner Harbour the cost of which would be £608,000 completed. The reclaimed land (491 acres) would be worth £804,400, less £lOO,OOO for reading. In 10 years time the work would-be paid for and show £196,000 profit. Only by -increased charges or rating could the Break-water be completed. Messrs Cullen and Keele had “knocked out”, the report of Mr Furkert,’ Government Engineer. The latter evidently spent most of his time in the “Daily Telegraph” office!

Mr Chambers referred in detail to the recently published report of Mr R. W. Holmes, C.E., as to the Breakwater, roadstead, and Inner Harbour channel soundings, making comparisons with the levels of 1906—favourable to a marked extent to the Inner Harbour scheme. In time the Breakwater would become silted-up like Oamaru’s scheme.

Had Messrs Cullen and Keele known the true position at the time they would not have. reported in favour of the Breakwater, at the head of the advocates for which Was Mr Vigour Brown. It was shown bthat. silting had increased very substantially ever since the Breakwater had been constructed (in 1887). A plan presented before local electors by one of his earlier opponents had been a fake and a forgery, being allegedly a Government plan. The recent soundings settled for all time the question of where the harbour should be —nature had decided the issues. "Never in my 20 years’ of harbour Board service and 40 years of public life have I ever recommended any scheme in which I did not conscientiously believe,” said the speaker. Of the loan of £300,000 for the Inner Harbour, £124,00 is in hand and the scheme should not be delayed any longer by waiting for a Royal Commission. A channel of only 38 chains instead of 1 mile is now necessary to provide Inner Harbour access. The candidate said that he was anxious to have manure works established in Hawke’s Bay and -would promote that objective if returned again as a member. He had an. explanation to make in reply to a question at a local meeting he had said that he would follow the engineers and had stuck to that but Mr Ellison then in favour of the Breakwater had "changed his coat” and other Breakwater advocates on the Board had refused to follow the engineers first report. A second Government member had also been appointed in place of an Inner Harbour member. Messrs Cullen and Keele, were told that the Inner Harbour movement was dead and on-financial grounds they reported in favour of the Breakwater. Ho had refused to do an injustice to the electors by supporting the Breakwater in the circumstances. Tt had been said that ho was the "tool” of the chairman —it was ridiculous to suggest that he had been dominated by Mr Jull or anyone else. There were often differences between them, but he should not 'be called a Crawler because of loyalty to the chairman' any;. more than Sir George Hunter for supporting .. W, . - .....

Mr Coates, or Cr. Warren for voting with Mr Goodger.

In spite of the Foxton perferencc rate in viewt of the competitive factor allowed for by the N.S.C. Co. freights and rail costs to Waipukurau, were much lower per ton via Napier. Mr Vigor Brown as M.P. for Napier had a Harbour Bill that would have assisted the Inner Harbour movement and the more recent Bill had been opposed by Breakwater advocates. In two years time he would retire from the Board and hoped to see the Inner Harbour scheme well forward. Mr J. E. Jones, a member of the Board suokc an.d pointed to the success at the last election gained by the Inner Harbour candidates all -being elected. Outside of Napier-the . area had been loyal to the Inner Harbour scheme ever since 1911. He p&ld a tribute to Mr Chambers for his lengthy and valuable service. The Inner Harbour candidates had been successful by five votes to one. Eight of the eleven elected members were pledged to the Inner Harbour’ scheme and there were two Government members supporting the Breakwater. The Breakwater party had played their last card by seeking a Royal Commission' to investigate the problems of the harbour. A commission —probably a magistrate, an engineer, and- a business man, and if a Wellington one, then the finding would not be likely to favour the Inner Harbour — had been promised in a month’s time but six months had elapsed. Mr Furkert had not taken soundings and his information had therefore been insufficient. The Marine Department had not been found sympathetic as to supplying information. A small- coterie in Napier had dominated the situation. Of the total value of the area—£l7,009,000 —Napier only accounted for £1,539,000, whereas the Hastings valuation totalled £1,478,000.

Mr G. C. Lowe, another member of the Board, who mentioned having resided in the Waipukurau district —at Ruataniwha—for 15 years, said that the Minister of Marine had been up against, the Inner Harbour scheme and the Government nominees wore opponents'of the proposal. He deta.de4 the overtures to the Minister and a personal conversation on the subject indicating indifference as to whether or not Hawke’s Bay had a harbour. He paid a tribute to Mr Chambers, and asked the electors to support his candidature. Mr J. H. Joll, who is president of the H.B. Provincial District of the Farmers’ Union, also spoke and gave an historic outline of the harbour development. Ho said that the early controversy was that /betv/bCn the Breakwater and the "Iron Pot,” the construction -work incidental jo the former being carried to sea. The Inner Harbour reclamation would provide a port free of cost. “You pause before you spend more money on that precious "ewe lamb” (the Breakwater Harbour”) said Mr Joll in conclusion. No questions were asked. Hearty votes of thanks to ino chairman, the visitors from Hastings and the candidate, were accorded.