FEILDING AND THE FOXTON HARBOUR BOARD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1031, 17 August 1911, Page 3

FEILDING AND THE FOXTON HARBOUR BOARD.

Mr G. J. Harford, Feilding member on the Foxton Harbour Board, in a letter to the Feilding Star in reply to the Mayor of Feildlng’s statements in respect to the Foxton Harbour Board, says inter alia: — Owing to my absence from Feilding I was unable to reply to Mr Goodbchere’s letter yesterday, but with your permission I will do so now. First, I thank the Mayor for giving me the opportunity to reply, and so place the matter before the ratepayers. I know, sir, that I shall be deemed presumptuous for daring to disagree with his Worship, but, as the member of the Board for the borough I claim the right to use my own judgment in looking after the interests of the ratepayers as a whole, and refuse to be dictated to by a few interested individuals who may disagree with the proposal. It is quite true, sir, that I did state at the Board’s meeting that the proposal had been unfairly put to the Council by the Mayor. I also said so at the Council meeting, and Mr Goodbehere’s letter on Saturday proves that I was right. For instance, Feilding’s contribution is not £ 100, but This I pointed out to the Mayor at the Council meeting. Then Mr Goodbehere says that “he pointed out the danger of assenting to the Borough being rated to support a harbour at Foxton, the benefit of which to our ratepayers would be a very doubtful quantity.” This is just what I complain about—that the proposal was put unfairly to a body of men who hid not had the opportunity of going into the matter, especially as the harbour is not mentioned in the proposed Bill, but only the purchase of the wharf from the Government. Then, sir, Mr Goodbehere is not an importer, and has really had no experience of the difference there is in freights or how much saving there is in bringing heavy goods via Foxton. I get most of my heavy goo is this vay, and a good many impolicy in Feilding and the suriou'nimg districts do the same, and find there is a considerable saving in freight, thus reducing the prime cost. I have spoken to one importer in Feilding on this subject, and he is against the Borough being included in the rating area. I asked him if he did not get his goods cheaper than by the Manawatu line? He answered “Yes, but nearly every other storekeeper does the same so that it is no advantage to me.” I remarked that I could sell the goods cheaper by having to pay less freight. The answer I got to this was that he “ was not a philanthropic institution, and that it would not matter to him if freights were twice as high, as the extra charge (with interest added) would be added on to the goods and the consumer would have to pay the extra cost.” As I am one of the consumers and represent some 3000 others, I think it ray duty to keep the cost down. To put the proposal before Feilding ratepayers as shortly as possible, I give a few extracts from the “Foxton Harbour Board Doan Bill ” to be submitted to Parliament this session. . , .

With the figures and facts before the Board, I maintain that I must support the proposal, especially as the freights on the Manawatu line are so high, and there is not the slightest doubt in my mind that if the Government will sell the wharf at the figure named and the Harbour Board has full control, it will prove a benefit to the whole of the district.

As to the last paragraph in the letter, viz., that ratepayers would not vote for the loan, this can hardly be proved, as a poll is not likely to be taken, but at the next election of representatives of the Board I have no doubt blit that they will emphatically endorse the Board’s proposal. Thanking you in anticipation.

At a meeting of the Feildiug Chamber of Commerce, held on Monday night, Mr Tolley introduced the Foxton Harbour Board rating area proposal. He said while he thought they should encourage the Foxton port, he was opposed to Feilding being included in the proposed rating area to purchase the wharves. He said the wharves had cost about .£7,000 twenty years ago, and the Railway Department had been receiving about £7OO a year from the wharves, which had been used as railway revenue, instead of being used to improve the port. Mr Millar had informed a deputation that he wanted £24,000 for the wharves, but to give this sum would be a very unjust thing. If they had to wait a long time, still they would get justice. He proposed that in the opinion of the Chamber the claim of the Railway Department for £24,000 for the wharves is an excessive one ; that Feilding should not be included in any rating area for the Foxton harbour ; and that the resolution be forwarded to the Council aud the Harbour Board. Mr Pryde seconded the motion. Mr Bratnwell, in supporting the motion, said the Chamber and the Borough Council had before distinctly opposed being included in any rating area, and he was amazed at the statement of the Feilding representative at a meeting in Palmerston that the Feilding people were favourable to the proposal. He agreed that the claim for the wharves was excessive, and further that Feildiug’s quota of something like £IOO a year was too large altogether in comparison with that proposed for