WHAREPOAS FERRY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4955, 24 March 1926, Page 1

WHAREPOA S FERRY.

CLOSING OPPOSED BY SETTLEBS.

INDIGNATION MEETING HELD

The decision of the Thames and Hauraki Plains county councils to close the Wharepoa ferry instigates those interested to call, an indignation meeting at Wharepoa, on • Thursday last. The meeting wa ( s - fully representative, and visitors were in attendance from Puriri and Turua. Mr E. El,Hot presided.

Cr.'Cribb, of Puriri, dealt with .the Thames County's position in regard to the ferry, pointing out that it was left to the chairman (Mr H. Lowe) a ; nd Crs. Brunton and Alley to confer with the Hauraki Plains County Council, with power to act. Cr. Cribb explained that the members of outside ridings wore not aware that the Wharepoa. settlers desired, the ferry/ to be kept open.

On being questioned regarding a petition, signed by the majority of ratepayers, in favour of the ferry Or. Cribb stated that no petition had ever reached the council, so far as he was aware.

Mr C. W. Winder, in a telling S|peech, stressed .the pointi. that he felt the entire trouble was caused through the matter not being properly represented to the council. He claimed that the authorities were not looking ahead. In visualising .the future development of the Hauraki Plains and Thames Valley he pointed out. that .in a very few years, the traffic would be increased enormously. The present means of crossing the rivers would not only be wanted, but also more ferries, some of which would, ultimately be supplanted by bridges. In the .near future Kerepeelii would be .the nearest railway station for Auckland. The future sports and show-groupd for Wharepoa would also be in that fast-developing centre of the Hauraki Plains. The. (stumbling block seemed to be the maintenance of the roads adjacent to the ferry. Thousands of tons! of coal, timber, dairying requirements, etc., hauled by motor lorries, had been the direct cause of the present deplorable state of the road. The lorries, in.' his opinion, should have been, taxed sufficiently to provide funds, for the upkeep of the approaches, instead of the absurd anomaly of the two ridings, adjoining the ferry being entirely responsible for ..the upkeep; He was, prepared to, say that if the. ferry was run in a more businesslike manner it would not only be self-supporting, but alpo a source of revenue. He went on to< say that even in the event of the ferry being closed —and he could not possibly see how anyone in their serious moments! could entertain puch an extreme step—the road would still have to be put in good order, not only for the settlers nearby but also for an approach to a contemplated new wharf required near the present ferry site to. replace the present wharf; which had- silted up. Cr. Madgwick, Turua riding representative on' the Hauraki Plains, County Council, who was present at) the request of the Turua/Ratepayersf 'Association, said that in the event of the road'approaching the ferry being maintained by .the two councils, instead of being a tax solely on the two ridings, there would be no further opposition from the ratepayers - he was representing.

Mr E. J. Smith, of Puriri, claimed that it was rather peculiar that £6OOO was s,unk in approaches to .the Kopuferry, which was of no use to the 'ratepayers- in the southern! portion of the Thames - County, and was only of use to the Thames business, people and a few s.ettlers in the northern end. To this the whole county was contributing, ye.t the respective councils concerned in the Wharepoa ferry refused to subsidise this very important means of communication, though the cos,t per annum would be infinitesimal when borne by the two councils.

Mr Winder asked Or. Brunton what became of the petition that was forwarded to the Thames council, by the Wharepo'a, ratepayers! in which it was requested that the 'ferry be kept) open.

Cr. Brunton replied that the petition had never been placed before a, county meeting. . > Cr. Cribb explained that this was probably due to the neglect either of the clerk or the chairman. Mr Harris stated that this only confirmed his conviction that had the matter of closing the ferry been properly represented the discussion that' evening would not have been necessary. He felt that the riding members had lamentably tailed in their duty to the ratepayers they dlaimed to represent.

To reach finality Mr Harris proposed that -Messrs E.’ Elliot, C. W. Winder, A. McCollum, R. Darrah, B. Burkhardt, and E. J. Smith be appointed a delegation to meet the Hauraki Plains County Council, at its meeting on the 29th ins.t. to put on a satisfactory basis the working of the Wharepoa ferry.

Mr Madgwick agreed to ask the Hauraki Plains County Council ,to defer further action until interviewed by the delegation.

Hearty votes o>f thanks, to the chairman and visiting councillors brought to a close one of the largest and most enthusiastic ratepayers’ meetings Wharepoa has, ever known.