FOXTON WHARF.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1522, 19 August 1912, Page 2

FOXTON WHARF.

» WANTED BY THE BOARD. MR. lIERRIES INTERVIEWED. For some time past tho Foxton Harbour Board has been in negotiation with tho Government over the proposed ptirehnso of the Foxton Wharf, which is at present held by tho Railway Department. On Saturday, Mr. P. Ilennessy, chairman nf the I'oxton Harbour Board, accompanied bv Mr. J. Robertson, M.P., interviewed the Hon. W. Berries (Minister for Railways) on the subject. Mr. Ilennessy said that, a Bill now before tho House was bawd on an understanding with the Hon. J. A. Millar that tho board should have the Foxton Wharf for ,£20,000. On that understanding (ho board had taken steps to promote a Bill and tako in a district as a rating area. That was tho position at present, and the board desired to obtain the assistance of tha Government in getting the Bill through tho House. They would like tho Minister to look into the legal standing of the board. It was brought into existence by Act of Parliament in 187G, and certain endowments were granted to it. By an Act of dissolution in 18S(i, wharfage, and other revenues of the. board were diverted to the (iovcrnor-in-Counril. Instead of being devoted to tho upkeep and improvement of the harbour, the revenue was paid either into the railways revenue or into tho Consolidated Fund. Tho board now desired to prosecute improvements, but could not do so unless it recovered its revenue. Mr. Herrics: Is the traffic increasing? Mr. Henncssy: Fairly. Mr. Berries said that the difficulty seemed to bo in regard to the value of the wharf. The officers of his Department could find no record of a. promise to sell the wharf for X 20.000. Mr. Hennessy produced a letter from the Hon. J. A. Millar, then Minister for Railways,-to the secretary of (he Foxton Harbour Board, dated September 8, 1911. It reads as follows:—"I have tho honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 29th ult., forwarding a copy nf the Foxton Harbour Board Loan Bill, and in reply to state that 1 shall, bo pleased to give my supnort to tho Bill." Mr. Herrics: Was the sum of .£20,000 inontionedr Mr. Ilennessy said that it was. Tho fact could be attested by Mr. Field, formerly member for Otaki, and other .witnesses. Mr. Herrics remarked that the sum of ■EJi.OpO had been mentioned as the price of the wharf. Mr. Henncssy said that he had suggested submitting tho dispute over the price to arbitration. The Minister promised to look into the whole matter. .The Government, ho added, wanted to [do the fair thing. Mr. Ilennessy said that it. was not so much tho value of the wharf that 1 was in dispute as the goodwill. It was hardly fair that the people of the Foxton Harbour district should bo asked to > pay their revenue into the Consolidated Fund and then bo robbed of their just rights. Mr. Herries said that every year as the traffic went up tho value of the wharf would increase. Mr. Robertson, in thanking the Minister for receiving tho deputation, said that the Foxton Harbour Board bad been put in a very difficult position. If they improved the harbour thev wero nil the time "rushing up" tho Value of tho wharf. There was no doubt that tho Railway Department had got hold of a good tiling.