FOXTON HARBOUR BOARD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 841, 19 May 1910, Page 3

FOXTON HARBOUR BOARD.

SPECIAL MEETING AT PALMERSTON.

A special meeting of the Foxton Harbour Board was held in the Council Chamber, Palmerston North, yesterday, to consider, amongst other matters, a notice of motion by the Chairman in connection with the proposed purchase of the present railway wharf by the Board. There were present Messrs P. J. Hennessy (chairman), B. R. Gardener, J. G. Wilson, G. H. Stiles, J. A. Nash, H. Tolley and W. T. Wood. The latter, however, was not present at the commencement of the meeting, but arrived about an hour after the appointed time having just returned to Palmerston from Rotorua by the express. The position of affairs as regards the purchase of the wharf is well-known to our readers and is briefly as follows : —Since the constitution of the Board the Government has been approached in various ways, deputations, correspondence, etc., with the request that the wharfages collected at the Eoxton wharf should be handed over to the Board. As is wellknown this was refused by the Government. On the occasion of the recent visit ot the Hon. J. A. Millar, Minister for Railways to Foxton a deputation from the Board again waited on him on the same subject and in reply to that deputation the Minister said if requested by the Board he would favourably consider the sale of the wharf to that body. At the meeting following the Minister’s visit to Foxton a resolution was passed by the Board as follows : —That this Board, acting on the suggestion of the Hon. J. A. Millar, do now ask the Minister to favourably consider the purchase by the Board of the wharf now in use, it the Minister agrees to the proposal, will he state in what way the price is to be arrived at; also what terms he would agree to for the payment of the sameThe Chairman’s notice of motion was that the words after “ now in use ” lie deleted. He said his reason lor moving this was because the Minister lor Railways had stated that he would not consider the matter until the words were deleted. Mr Hennessy said that on March 17th he was in Shannon and accidentally met Mr W. H. Field. M.P., for Otaki, and in conversation with him asked if he could arrange for him (Mr Hennessy) to have an interview with the Hon. J. A, Millar in reference to Harbour Board matters. This interview was arranged as asked and the Minister told him that he would not discuss the matter until the latter part of the motion had been rescinded. Mr Millar said that in any case he would want a good price and he would require cash. Asked if the latter portion of the resolution were rescinded would he grunt the Chairman a further interview, he said he would. The Minister concluded, said Mr Hennessy, by saying, ‘’we’ve got a good thing in that wharf and are getting between and every year out of it.” Mr Henuessy’s impression was that there was 3 reasonable chance of getting at what was wanted and in his opinion the best way in which to do it was for one individual to have a private chat with the Minister. He said where only one waited on the Minister in most cases they would get more than if there was a large deputation. The only reason for this, that he could see was that if there was a large number present the Minister would be very careful of what he said as he would be afraid that there would be smarter meu than himself ou the deputation.

Mr Gardener seconded the motion. He said that 11 the rescinding of the latter portion ot the motion was all that was standing in the way of getting a price for the wharf fixed by the Government, it should be done at once. What was wanted was the Government to fix a definite price. When Mr Millar was in Foxlon he said he would consider the matter, and the Foard must now gel him to say he will sell at a price, and then make terms as favourable as possible. Mr Nash said he did not think the request for the deletion of portion of the resolution was justifiable at all. At the meeting following the Minister for Railways visit to F'oxtou it was decided that a deputation should go to Wellington, He certainly dia not agree with the Chairman that one person would invariably get more out ot a Minister than a large deputation. He would move an amendment that the Foard wait on the Minister at Wellington on a date to be arranged, with reference to the purchase ot the wharf. Fy doing this they would be able to get a definite statement from him as to whether he would entertain the proposal or not. Mr Nash suggested that the matter be held over till alter the arrival of the Auckland express, so that Mr Wood could be present.

Mr Wilson stated that Mr i£Newman, M.P., would probably arrive by the same train. The Chairman fwarmly) ; I am inclined to think Mr Nash is an adept at this kind ot business. If he cannot get what he wants he he is sure to try and find some other way whereby he can upset the Board.

Mr Nash : 1 rise to a point of order and must object to me statement made by the chairman. I can only repeat what X have sam at previous meetings. I don't get proper consideration from the chairman of this Board.

The Chairman (very heatedly) ;

I may as well say what I mean straight out from the shoulder. I am not here to be bounced by Mr Nash. Mr Nash : I don’t want to bounce you, but I will have you understand that I represent Palmerston North on this Board and have the interests of the Board as much at heart as you have.

Mr Stiles said he could see no reason why both resolutions could not be taken together. He was agreeable to both motions. He didn’t see why the deputation could not wait on the Minister and also why the words could not be deleted.

Mr J. G. Wilson said he thought the request for the deletion of portion of the resolution was not justifiable at all. It was simply a matter of putting the Board off. He also thought they would be in exactly the same position after the deputation had interviewed the Minister as before. Mr Millar had met them in a most cordial way in Foxton. His ability was undoubted, and they had every reason to hope that they would get some consideration. It was, in Mr Wilson’s opinion, not Mr Millar who was obstructing, but the Railway Department. As the Minister expressed it, they had “a good thing.” Mr Wilson, speaking to the chairman, continued: “I don’t think you are quite fair to Mr Nash. I’m sorry to see this squabbling, and I know Mr Nash and the Palmerston people are quite as anxious in the matter as Foxton.” Mr Wilson reiterated lliat he did not think there would be much result from the deputation. He believed that it would be ultimately necessary to petition Parliament ou the matter before tbe Board gained its point. What the Board wanted ou the matter was publicity, so that the public might realise how unjustly it was being treated in the matter. In saying the Government had ” a good thing,” Mr Millar had given the whole show away. The public would see that, and he considered that if the whole thing were threshed out before Parliameut the people would see how hard a row the Board had to hoe. Mr Gardener said he would not support Mr Nash’s motion. It was putting the cart before tbe horse. The Board should have confidence in its chairman, and he did not see why the portion of the resolution complained of should not lie deleted, and also give the chairman power to again interview Mr Millar privately and get a definite answer from him as to the price required. He favoured one or two interviewing a Minister 111 prefereuce to a large deputation and in any case it was no use the deputation going down until a price was named. Mr Tolley said he was piepared to support both resolutions. He did not know how far the powers of a chairman went, but he thought Mr Hennessy had gone rather far, particularly in getting Mr Field, M.P. for Otaki, to introduce him to the Minister. Mr Tolley was ot opinion that the deputation which was to wait on the, Minister should be as large and representative ot the whole district as possible, as it was not a local matter, but oue which concerned a very wide area. Mr Hennessy explained that he did not go to the Minister as a deputation from the Board, but as he did not quite understand the correspondence received, he asked Mr Field to arrange an interview with the Minister in order that he might get a thorough grasp of the whole position, Mr Nash pointed out that the question not only concerned Foxton, but the whole district, and he didn’t believe in a small deputation on a question of such importance. The wharf was the crux of the whole position, and the Board could do nothing till it got the wharf. The matter could not be trifled with, and they would have to go as a strong deputation. He would not move his motion as an amendment to the chairman’s, but as a separate resolution. Mr Hennessy said that he had not the slightest ambition in the world to run down to Wellington to figure as a deputation. If the majority of the members were opposed to him going down he would certainly not go. If, ou the other hand, the members look on it that it is in the interests of the Board that he should agaiu go to Wellington he would certainly do so, and have another interview with the Minister,

Mr Stiles suggested ,that the chaumau should go to Wellington and have another private chat with the Minister.

Mr Wilson said that if this were done they would get nothing on record, whereas in the case ot a deputation everything would be made public, and, as he said before, that was what was really wanted.

The motion that the words be deleted was then put and carried, and Mr Nash’s motion that the whole Board go as a deputation was.also earned. Tne Cuairmau and Mr Gardener voting against the latter motion.