OPOTIKI’S VIEW OF CLAIM MADE FOR WHAKATANE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 92, 6 September 1950, Page 5

OPOTIKI’S VIEW OF CLAIM MADE FOR WHAKATANE

“Coming from the other side of Whakatane, we at Opotiki know perhaps more of the point of view there than you do here,” stated My W. A. Gault, of the Opotiki County Council, at the conference in Tauranga of local body representatives. “One of their main arguments is that the saving of freight from the Murupara products will meet the interest on financing their proposal,” he continued. As it was assumed that Tauranga anticipated considerable freight from Murupara, Mr Gault asked if the board had a counter for that point of view. Opotiki intended to develop a small port at Ohiwa which would not compete in any way with the port for the Bay of Plenty, he added. As a result, it did not want to be connected for rating with either Tauranga or Whakatane. “That point was raised at the Rotorua conference,” stated Mr Alach. He agreed that there would be a small saving in freight from Murupara. At the same time the Kaingaroa forests were not the only ones from which timber was to be exported. Tauranga had 10,000 acres at its front door on Matakana Island. There were large plantations at Tokoroa, Putaruru and Coromandel that were some distance from Whakatane. These mills had stated that they would not ship through Whakatane if the port went there. There was also the very important aspect of inward cargoes continued Mr Alach. Trade to be worth anything had to be two-way trade. It should be remembered that the timber trade, considerable as it was to be, might not always be there. On the other hand butter, cheese and wool would always be in demand from overseas and Tauranga would not depend entirely on the timber trade. A railway from Edgecumbe would have to be constructed to Whakatane arid paid for.