FOXTON HARBOUR BOARD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 429, 27 August 1908, Page 3

FOXTON HARBOUR BOARD.

Further Deputation to Min* Ister of Railways. Bill Fully Considered. To be Again Discussed by Cabinet. By telegraph—Special to Herald. Wellington, last night. Mr J. Stevens, M.P., accompanied by Mr P. Hennessy, president of the Foxton Chamber of Commerce, and Mr R. Moore, solicitor to the Chamber, waited on the Minister for Railways to-day in connection with the Foxton Harbour Board Bill.

Mr Stevens pointed out that the saving on coal carried into the port under improved conditions would be one shilling per ton, and the saving thus effected would, to a large extent, recoup the Railway Department for the wharfages now collected by it, and asked to be granted to the Board. Mr Hennessy gave a number of details showing that Wanganui, Patea, and Waitara Harbour Boards were many years ago granted what the Foxton Chamber of Commerce were now asking for the Foxton Harbour Board when constituted.

After the Bill had been fully discussed the Minister promised to lay the matter before Cabinet again, and to give a definite reply to-morrow, and also to ascertain whether the Marine Department would grant a subsidy in addition to the harbour dues already agreed to be handed over to the proposed Board.

(by our special reporter)

The President of the. Foxton Chamber of Commerce, Mr P. J. Hennessy, and Mr Moore, bon. solicitor for the Chamber, waited upon Mr Stevens, M.P., at Wellington on Tuesday, and the result of a long conversation with him as to the best means of getting the Foxton Harbour Board Bill passed this session, was a further appointment for an interview with the Hon. Mr Hall-Joues, Minister for Railways. The Minister received the member for the district and the representatives •of the Foxton Chamber yesterday morning, when Mr Stevens very urgently pressed the claims of the district for the granting of the wharf revenue to the proposed Board, and again emphasised the extreme injustice of starving the Foxton Harbour by taking the revenues derived from it and paying them into the funds of the general railways of the country. Mr Hennessy pointed out that by using the revenue from wharfages for the lighting of the river and the general development of the harbour, the freight on the very large amount of coal brought into Foxton (most of which was for Government purposes) could be so much cheapened that the Department would gain as much in this direction as it would lose by relinquishing the wharfages. The Minister replied that he was thoroughly in accord with the Foxton Chamber of Commerce in regard to the establishment of a Harbour Board, and considered they were doing a very wise thing in endeavouring to get it. In regard to the Bill it was quite satisfactory to his Department with the single exception of the request for the wharfages. There was no objection to the Harbour Board receiving the port dues, pilotages, and berthages. These properly belonged to a Harbour Board in any case, but the wharf belonged to the Railway Department and the wharfages could not be given up by the Department. The railways were now being run at a loss and they could not afford to cut off any source of revenue. After the last deputation from the Foxton Chamber had waited upon him he had submitted the matter to Cabinet and their reply was that they could not agree to the wharfages being received by the Harbour Board. Unless he had some new argument to place before Cabinet he did not see the use of approaching them again. In his opinion the proper method of financing the proposed Board was by rating. He could see no objection to imposing a rate in view of the fact that the establishment of a Harbour Board with the consequent development of the port would increase the value of the land throughout the district to an extent more than enough to pay the rate. The Minister further stated that if the wharfages were given up to the Board in the case of Foxton it would constitute a precedent for other places, as Nelson, Oamaru and elsewhere, and these places would immediately demand the same thing.

Mr Stevens said lie could not see any force in the precedent argument. The fact that several places might be induced to what they were entitled to was no reason why Foxton should be denied what it had in justice a right to claim. He further emphasised the immense advantages which Foxtou possessed over Wanganui as a shipping railway terminus owing to the different formation of the railway at this port. Mr Hennessy in reply to the Minister’s arguments said it would be impossible to finance the Board merely on the pilotages, berthages, and port dues without the wharfages. The latter constituted much the larger part of the revenue. At present the Marine Department which was receiving the pilotage, berthage, and port dues was losing a considerable amount annually. It was unreasonable to suggest that a rate should be imposed when the revenue from the harbour, which

was now being received by the Railway Department and applied to railway uses, was sufficient for the purpose. Without the wharfages the Board in order to keep its balance on the right side would have to impose duties on shipping which would drive trade away from the port. He considered sufficient new material had been introduced in the matter of the saving of freight on railway coal in consequence of the facilities for improvement to the harbour, which would be available to the Board if it received the wharfages as part of its reVenue, being equivalent to the loss of revenue to the Department by relinquishing the wharfages' to justify the Minister in again referring the matter to Cabinet. The Minister said that in view of this new argument on the subject, he would obtain a further expression of opinion from Cabinet, and inform Mr Stevens of the result to-day. His own opinion was that his Department would get the benefit of the reduced freight on coal in course of time in any case, whether it gave up the wharfages now or not. He thought if the Marine Department, in addition to giving the Board its part of the revenue, would also pay to it a sum equivalent to its annual loss at the port of Foxton, that should enable the Board to carry on in the meantime without taking the wharfages which the Railway Department had been collecting. He would consult with the Minister for Marine, besides referring the matter to Cabinet, and give his reply on Thursday. Personally, he had no interest against the wishes of the Foxton Chamber of Commerce or the welfare of the district, but he was bound to look after the interest of his Department. In reply to a further question as. to whether, if the general railway revenue did not meet the expenses, it would not be better to increase the revenue until it did meet expenses, rather than take away from the harbour the revenue earned by it, and apply it towards railway expenditure instead or using it for the development oi the harbour, the Minister replied that if any attempt were made to increase the railway revenue by adding to the existing freights and charges it would lead to a vast amount of trouble. This however, seemed to the Member for the District and the representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, to be too clearly a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul, to meet with any approval from them.

Mr Stevens thanked the Minister for the patient hearing accorded to them. He mentioned that Cabinet would be mainly influenced in its decision on any matter by the opinion of the Minister for the Department to which the matter related, and in this instance he hoped the Minister would use his influence in favour of what was obviously for the welfare of the district.