ROTORUA CONFERENCE ON PORT ALLEGED STACKED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 50, 12 October 1949, Page 5

ROTORUA CONFERENCE ON PORT ALLEGED STACKED

Because the majority of delegates appeared to have been “fixed” beforehand it was practically impossible for the scheme for a deep water harbour at Whakatane to be presented at all, it was alleged at Monday night’s meeting of the Whaka- , tane Borough Council, . when the meeting of local and other interested bodies held at Rotorua last week to discuss a deep water port for the Bay of Plenty, was reported on by Council delegates. The council decided to support the Harbour Board in the suggestion for a deep water port at Whakatane and to urge that representations be made as soon as possible to the Commissioner of Works to have the proposal fully investigated. The Mayor, Mr B. S. Barry, said that Whakatane did not get far at the Rotorua meeting as delegates found it very difficult to present the case for Whakatane. He alleged that the meeting had been obviously “fixed” beforehand. Cr R. T. Morpeth agreed with the Mayor that the meeting had appar- £ ently been “schooled” beforehand to get the port at Tauranga, “Despite what the Mayor of Tauxanga said at the meeting we know that the plans for a Bay of Plenty port have not yet been finalised and the Whakatane scheme will be con- -. sidered,” Cr Morpeth declared. There was no doubt that the meeting was “stacked”, Cr H. G. Warren alleged. Although the chairman had been very fair it was ob--1 vious from the way the meeting proceeded that the motions, movers and seconders had been prepared beforehand. “However Whakatane gained a lot of support,” he added. “When the motion was moved that the question of a port for the Bay of Plenty ■ be submitted to a panel of experts for consideration it was very closely lost on a vote. The Whakatane delegates had Conducted themselves very well and had carefully avoided a bitter controversy over the scheme, Cr Morpeth pointed out. “All of us carefully avoided any reply to the mayor of Tauranga’s outburst, which came when feelings were running high,” he added. ■r; Mr Barry said that the proposed harbour was a big-scheme and if it could be constructed at Whakatane it would mean a big thing not only for the town but for the surrounding district. “We should support the scheme and make urgent representations to have it investigated as soon as possible. If it is found to be not feasible then it will certainly not be carried on,” he declared.