VALUE OF HARBOUR

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 47, 9 February 1945, Page 5

VALUE OF HARBOUR

LOCAL BOARD'S REPRESEN-

TATIONS

The following statement was submitted by the Whakatane Harbour Board to the Rail and Shipping Commission which sat

in this town last Tuesday:-—

The Whakatane Harbour Board as representing, the Harbour District of the Whakatane County and i& vitally interested in the maintenance of sea and rail_ freights on the present basis as applies to Whakatane and district. The Whakatane Harbour Board submits: — 1. That the Government shoulcl foster and encourage coastwise sea transport additional to motor and rail transport. 2. That coastwise sea transport— (a) Encourages the recruitment of personnel in the Mercantile Marine and the Navy. (b) Is the cheapest known means of transport, which in all other maritime countries is fostered' and encouraged in the interests of national economy. (c) Provides a national means of transport in an emergency or national disaster, and this submission ;has been amply exemplified | the present war emergency s and j (d) Ensures the establishment of, la valuable secondary viz. shipbuilding.

3. That Harbour Boards have spent large sums of money in providing harbour facilities ? and the national economy should ensure that such facilities -will be not only maintained, but also improved. (a) With the completion qf tb& land drainage of the Rangitaiki Plains one outlet via Whakatane, of the Rangitaiki River was diverted, and it was because of this diversion that the very existence of the> port was jeopardised. The Board was obliged to embark on an extensive programme of harbour improvements so as to achieve a workable bar during most weathers. This was at the time when there were no rail facilities and it was also during the period of the last war when every effort was being - made to improve the freighting facilities of the. East Coast Freezing Co.

(b) The harbour public debt has been reduced from £100 } 500 to 562 and the present annual charges for'interest and sinking fund amount to £4960. The Avharfage receipt for the last three war years has averaged £3400 odd, and the average annual wharfage receipt for the two years prior to the war was £5000 odd. The Whakatane Harbour Board is obliged to rate. (c) The result of the Board's policy is the provision of a port which is rarely weather-bound and which, offers facilities in the nature of concrete wharves, freezing room accom~ mod at ion, etc., second to none ot any port of a similar siz? in thej Dom'njiODt _