The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, February 6, 1913. THE FOXTON WHARF.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1060, 6 February 1913, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, February 6, 1913. THE FOXTON WHARF.

4 It is somewhat unfortunate that the visit of the Minister fcir Railways to Foxton was not timed a few days earlier, because he would then have been favoured with an ocular demonstration of steamers stranded on the bar and m the river. The holding up of shipping and the great inconvenience caused thereby to storekeepers and the public generally, and financial loss to shipowners and wharf labourers is caused through the silting up of the river and bar. Apart from the serious losses, etc., above referred to, the port is tabooed by other shipping companies who realise that they incur grave risks in bringing their boats here under existing conditions. This state of affairs can only be remedied by systematic dredging of the bar and river channel. It is impossible, however, for the Board to undertake such necessary work, because, as we have time and again pointed out, the principal source of revenue from the port finds its way into the coffers of the working railways account.’ Until the Board has control of the wharf and revenues the port must continue to be a menace to shipping. The object of the Minister’s visit to Foxton to-day is to confer with, the Harbour Board and representatives of district local bodies, and to endeavour to come to some definite understanding in respect to transferring the control of the wharf from the Railway Department to the rightful governing body. When the history of the port is unfolded to the Minister, we believe, as a reasonable man, he will be convinced that the future welfare of the port entirely depends upon the revenue earned by the port being expended upon the harbour. After all, what does the change in administration mean ? It is simply transferring the wharf from one public body to another, and allowing the Harbour Board to expend the revenue it has earned in improving the waterway, instead of allowing such revenue to filter into a department which has not earned it. When the Hon. Mr Millar was Minister of Railways he was fearsome lest the water carriage of goods would enter into serious competition with the railways, and for this reason, set his face against handing over the wharf to the Harbour Board. Such objection was absurd for two very good reasons. Firstly, by improved shipping facilities, the railways would save hundreds of pounds in coal haulage for own consumption over a steep gradient; and, secondly, increased shipping at the port would necessitate increased haulage on this railway section, the revenue from which would more than counterbalance the loss of unearned revenue from the wharf. Further, .the late Minister, seeing that the Board was determined to get control of the wharf, and that members of the House—particularly those who were then in Opposition—were in sympathy with the Board’s claim, put an almost prohibitive price on the old structure, representing good will. The Board, if they desired to purchase at the price, had no power to borrow, and the adjacent districts refused, under the circumstances, to be included in a rating area. As is well known, the amending Act which was to give the Board power to create a harbour rating district, owing to strong opposition, had to be dropped. The Board has been baffled and foiled on every hand,and the members have become utterly down-hearted. In the meantime, the port has gone from bad to worse, and shipping has been transferred elsewhere. With the change of Government, the Board has again taken heart, and anticipates a square deal from the present Minister. Its hopes have been buoyed somewhat by the statement recently published to the effect that the Onehunga wharf is to be transferred from the Railway Department to the Auckland Board for a consideration of ,£3OOO. The desparlty of values between the two structures needs to be seen to be appreciated, If the Board’s negotiations with the Minister to day do not result in the, transference of the wharf on a reasonable basis, then there is only one thing left for the Board to do, and we leave that for the Chairman to make public, We, however, believe that, as a result qf the Minister’s visit, the tide will turn in the Board’s favqur.