WHAKATANE’S CASE PUT BY COUNSEL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 16, Issue 16, 6 November 1950, Page 5

WHAKATANE’S CASE PUT BY COUNSEL

The case of Whakatane as the site of a future port for the Bay of Plenty was outlined at the sitting of the Bay of Plenty Harbour Committee of Inquiry on Friday' by Mr T. Henry, of Auckland. In his submissions, Mr Henry said there was need for further port development in the Bay in the immediate future to handle State and other exotic forestry plantations in the Rangitaiki River basin.

The port development should also be made capable of exporting agricultural products and importing necessities such as phosphate. The best site for such a port, counsel claimed, was Whakatane. Development should be undertaken to provide adequate facilities for handling produce of the State and other plantations as soon as the State commenced to produce from its Murupara pulp and paper mill project. It was claimed that the State should provide the funds for port development as a necessary adjunct to its Myirupara plan. Otherwise, the Whakatane Harbour Board would undertake the work, provided the State guaranteed a reasonable tonnage at an agreed rate for 36 years, the term over which the board considered the loan should be raised. The board would maintain the port. No further rating area was asked for and the present rate on the harbour district would be discontinued. Estimated Cost Two Millions

It was assumed that the work would be in accord with the plan submitted by the board at a cost in the vicinity of an estimated £2,000,000. There were variations in the estimates of the three engineers who had reported on the Whakatane scheme but they were on a sound basis- and Mr Henry submitted they should be taken in preference to those of the Ministry of Works. The primary factor was the need of the forestry industry; These to put it mildly, were problematical and for the forests in the Rangitaiki basin, Whakatane was closer than Tauranga by 34 miles and was within two miles of the Whakatane Board Mills, the production and import requirements of which were already considerable.

Counsel also made reference to the possibility of private enterprise being responsible for the utilisation of forest products in the area and if that should eventuate, it was by no means certain that the mill would be placed at Murupara. Mill On Seaboard It might very well be sited on the seaboard, in preference. This would have the advantage of a downhill run and would eliminate a heavy climb back of materials such as coal, v of an estimated annual tonnage of 112,500.

Also, if the works were on the seaboard, there would be' better facilities for the disposal of waste and so the pollution of rivers would be avoided.

There was the further advantage that the works would be placed alongside an established community where the amenities would require only extension, instead of having a town built de novo. If the decision should be for the erection of a mill on the sea coast, Whakatane would be the most likely choice for its location.

“Founded on Guesswork” “We claim Mr R. A. Simpson’s figures for Whakatane should be reduced to £2,176,000. Mr Simpson claims that the whole matter has been too uncertain for reliable estimates and that in many instances, he had not sufficient time for investigation. “It is a matter for comment that he makes no mention of this in his report. He took the preliminary plans and never requested further information. ,If he were going to make his estimates on guesswork, it would have been proper for him to ask for what details he wanted.”