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Hokitika Guardian, 30 March 1925, Page 2

Tun reply of the Minister of Marine to the deputations ili Sooth \\estlatld. regarding the improvement of Oknrito harbor was one of marked reservation. The earlier estimates given in regard to the works considered necessary ran into several thousands of pounds. These have been discarded, and iii any case the Minister stated they could Dot he entertained. A proposal has been mooted now to limit the expenditure to £IO,OOO in the construction of a tra/ining wall to ensure the maintenance of a permanent straight entrance. The effect of this as regards depth of water is not given, hut if the timber export trade is to he oil fairly substantial lines, large bottoms will be essential. A timber trade to be profitable from Okarito would require to depend in no small measure on an overseas trade, and the present government is opposed to that class of trade in unrestricted measure. Mr Anderson, the Minister who was south last week, is one of those most <onvdiced in regard to the policy of restricting export of timlior to store it up for the future. But apart from the difficulty of a market for a profitable timber trade, there is the question that the southern settlers are not unanimous on the rating aspect, which the Minister says must come first. That is, that the harbor district must lie prepared to rate itself for the interest on the capital cost of the harbor works and the upkeep of the harbor, if the revenue from the shipping trade fails to provide the necessary money. An area from Little Wanganui to Cooks river has been suggested as a possible harbor rating area. This would doubtless he quite satisfactory as regards rateable values, but with the precedent consent of the ratepayers, many of those within the proposed area will not subscribe to a r.-ting proposition. The Watarca settlers, for instance, have made it plain that they prefer to utilise the roads for their traffic, and the settlers at the southern end will probably find themselves well enough served from Bruce Bay, where they will escape the rating. To ensure the support of the ratepayers a smaller district will he necessary, and the issue then turns on the actual service to be derived from a harbor for the settlers’ economic use. If the Minister means to put forward the rating proposition at this stage it is very much to he feared that the prospects for harbor improvements will be delayed.

There is no doubt if a timber trade can be established that the export of the timber in volume, would pav for the harbor. But the timber belongs to the State, which lias adopted a policy to bold the timber for the future. Private enterprise has lieen discouraged from taking no the Okarito timber belt as a profitable proposition, and if the industry cannot he established on a considerable scale, there will not ho any industrial advantage to The district. The harbor, failing a railway, is essential for the export of the timber, and uiptil that is mar-

ketablo under free trading conditions, there is almost an insuperable bar to harbor mi prove mentis on any worthy scale to secure a profitable shipping trade. Mr Anderson has made it plain as to the policy of the Government regarding non export, and if the next election returns Reform again to power, there is every reason to believe that the restrictions on export will be drawn tighter, and even white pine will come tinder the ban. With the timber trade eliminated, the question is what remans to supply a profitable shipping trade worth a large expenditure on harbor improvements. Now that the main road is being improved, and bridges arc spanning the rivers and c ice lets, motor transport will come into its own. It will supply through private enterprise the means lor speedy transport. Such commodities as the settlers send out, cheese, butter, wool, llax etc., can ho carried economically by motor lorries. Sheep and lambs will he similarly carried in the future, too, no doubt. Fat stock will continue to be driven, as the shortest and best, way to reach a local market quickly, or the rail head to he forwarded to the East Coast market. The rival, facilities of tlu; road compared with sea transport, will always outdo the latter. Ho we must tome to the conclusion that in these times, circumstances do not justify the large expenditure proposed at Okarito. Ten years ago, the circumstances were different, and the proposal was practicable, hut the change brought about by the resti ic t ions on timber export, the improvement of the roads, amt the advent of the motor, have changed the whole aspect. As the matter stands the settler resident within a dclined area would have to bear the burden of 12 whole cost, and as that area must be limited necessarily for any diam of a rating proposal being adopted, the prospects of the people favoring the harbor scheme are indeed very doubtful now.