FOXTON HARBOUR COMMISSION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1553, 20 May 1916, Page 2

FOXTON HARBOUR COMMISSION.

FOXTON SITTING,

The sitting of the Foxton Harbour and Main Trunk Deviation Commission were commenced at Foxton yesterday morning. The Commission consists of Sir Robert Stout (Chief Justice) chairman, and Messrs W. M. Hannay, late general manager Wellington-Mana walu railway, and Cyrus Williams, engineer to the Lyttelton Harbour Board. Mr T. S. West on, with Mr M. F. Luckie, appeared for the Foxton Harbour Board, Mr M. Myers for the Railway Department, and Air J. P. Lines for the Palmerston’ and Feilding Borough Councils, Palmerston and Feilding Chambers of Commerce and Oroua, Kiwitea, Kairanga and Pohangina County Councils.

The Chairman read the order of reference after which an adjournment was made in order to inspect the river, the members of the Commission travelling to and from the Heads bv launch.

Cpon resuming, evidence of a statistical nature was given by A. W. McVilley, assistant general Manager of New Zealand Railways. The wit ness said that prior to 1872 money was expended by the Railway Department in connection with the Foxton Palmerston tramway, which included the wharf. The wharf was completed in September, 1873, and was then 17U feet long. The total expenditure incurred by the Public Works Department on the tramway and wharf up to that time was €30,880. The original wharf is embodied in the present structure. In 1874 the Government decided to convert the Foxton - Palmerston tramway into part of the FoxtonNcw Plymouth railway section, and a contract was let to one Andresen, for an extension of 220 feet to the wharf. The cost of this work was €852. In 1881 the Government built the present wharf, and also railway station buildings. The work was done under contract by one Saunders, and the cost, including lengthening the wharf to SOOfeet, was something out €15,000. He couldn’t separate the cost of the wharf from the other work. The whole expenditure was charged to the Railway Department. Since 1890 the expenditure on improvements to the wharf had totalled £4,127. There had been an expenditure on Mainten-

mice from revenue every year since the Kailway Department took the wharf over. The income for each year since 11)08 was as follows : 1 DOS £2,113 DIO!) £2,20(5 ]<)]() £2,820 ion .... £2, SSI 1012 £2,8(55 1013 .... £2,757 .1014 .... £3,250 J--1015 .... £3,185 lOlti .... £3,012 This represented the amount received each year for wharfages. Government coal was wharfage free. Ninety-five per cent of the goods that passed over the Foxton wharf was afterwards carried on the railways to Palmerston and other places. In addition to the wharfage fees the Kailway Department also collected terminal charges. To Mr Myers : The working expenses of the wharf since 1008 were : 1008 £BO7 / 1000 .... £l,llO 1010 .... £1,404 1011 £1,405 1012 .... £1,531 ' 1013 ..1. £1,8(55 1014 £1,807 1015 £3,271 10.10 £I,OBO The expenditure in 1015 included £1,500 for maintenance of the wharf, which included new planking to the structure. The cost of labour etc., was a little more than half the wharfage charges received. To Mr Weston ; lie couldn’t give the exact cost of the wharf. Andresen's contract worked out at about £4 5s per fpot. Saunders* contract included the reclamation of the land. Levin and Co.’s shed was on the railway land, but the piles of the wharf were in the river. Levin and Co., pay rent tor the land, and also pay wharfages on any goods that go over their own wharf. He couldn't say if there was an annual profit on the working of the wharf from 1880 to 1008, as he did not have particulars of the expenditure. Could not say whether there was a protil in' a loss shown on the working of the Pox ton - Palmerston branch railway. If the construction of the line cost £150,000 the working of the branch railway would slioav a loss. In 1877 the Railway Department got £OOO from the wharf. To Mr Myers : liver since the wharf was built it had been operated as part of the railway system of New Zealand. The net revenue from the wharf represented forty per cent, of the net revenue of the Foxton-Palmerston branch railway. To Sir Robert Stout : The Pa tea wharf was worked on the same lines as Foxton, but the wharfages were passed over to the Harbour Board, less a commission for collection, etc. He believed the wharf there was built by the Provincial Government . The Onehunga wharf was , run by the Railway Department for years at a loss. The Department recently sold it to the Board, and were glad to get rid of it. In Nelsons the wharf was offered to the Harbour Board at a price based oft the net earnings capitalised at 34 per cent. This concluded Mr McVilley’s evidence at tlim stage. He .will give further evidence after the Harbour Board’s side has been placed before the Commission. Mr Weston, in opening the cus^

for the Board, dealt with the early history of the port. The Eoxton Harbour Board was constituted in 187(1. In addition to certain endowments, the Board also had power to collect wharfages, but although they had this power the Railway Department, between 187(5 and 1881) collected all the wharfages, so that the revenue of the old Foxton Harbour Board consisted only of pilotages and port charges, which were practically non-existent, and the Board was dissolved in 1880, as jt had no funds to carry on. In 1008 the Board was re-constituted and under that Act the whole of the foreshore was vested in the Board, and it was given two reserves. Outside of these the only means of obtaining revenue was through pilotage rates and port clnu'ges. After the Act was passed the Railway Department by proclamation took the foreshore on which the wharf is built, and also that on which Levin and Co.’s building stands. Air Weston contended that the first question the Commission had to decide was whether the Board was entitled to control the wharf, and it so, under what conditions. He contended that the Legislature intended that harbours should be worked for the benefit of the residents, and under present conditions this was not being done in Foxton. The Harbours Act provided that all revenues from a harbour must be spent on. the improvement of same, but this was not being done in connection with the Foxton harbour. Absolutely nothing was being done to improve the bar and river, and if matters were allowed lo continue in this way the Foxton harbour would go from bad lo worse. He submitted that according to the evidence of Air McVilly the wharf could not have cost more than £3,000 to construct, and vet the Railway Department was asking £28,<00 tor the structure. A new wharf could be built for £5,000, so (hat the Railway Department was asking the Board to pay £23,000 for the privilege of running the wharf. He contended that an injustice was being done that not only affected Foxton but also a very large district.

The first witness . called was Charles Henry Heiwarth, engineer le> the AVanganni Harbour Beam), whei said he Intel made a special study of harbours similar to Foxton, and had ha el opport unit ies erf inspecting river harbours' very similar, iu different parts of the werrld. Compared with Wanganui, the Alarmwatu harbour is very similar, hut the seas were lighter here than at AAkrnganui. Had inspect cel the Maim watu river and made a report eiti it, and also inspected wharf and made a valuation of it. His valuation of the wharf was £3,300. AVoitld advocate use* of suction dredge otr bar. There would be very lit lie difficulty in improving the channel. Depth of river varies from 14 feel to 27 feel. To Air Myers : Alade valuation in April last. Took into consideration that planking is new. A new wharf could he built for £5,000. A’csscls similar to those trading to AVanganui wharf, drawing from nine to eleven feet, could be brought into Foxton without the necessity of training walls. Didn’t think there would he much expense iu maintaining a channel after (he initial cost.

To Air AVeslon : The Alanawalu river in its natural slate would compare rather better than the AVanganni river in its natural slate. Samuel Jie-kell, engineer lo the Palmerston North Borough, said he made an inspect ion oi the wharl and estimated the value ot. the structure at £3,700. Had not inspected the harbour. Philip Joseph Hennessy, Chairman of the Foxton Harbour Board, said he had resided in the Foxton district since 1878. The addition to the wharf made by Saunders was construct eel since his residence in Foxton. I« his opinion, three thousand pounds would cover the cost of the struct are. AVas in business in Foxton until 1012 for twenty years. Daring that time the Railway Department made no effort to improve the working ot the hathotti and wharf. The only work done by the Department on the river was some dredging near the wharf. They sold £(>2o worth of metal that

was dredged out. The present sheds were only half large enough for the business. Have asked the RailAAay Department to improve the facilities but they have done nothing. The Avitness gavc eA’idence as to the wharfage and other charges at the Wanganui and Patea Avhart’s, and conditions upon which the

Boards in those districts obtained control of the Avliarves. Owing to gradual silting up of the river, the coal trade of late via the Manawatu

River had fallen off. The whole of the; eii-trict extending from Taihape, Mart on, Dannevirke, to Paekaka-

riki, were now united in the opinion ih;*i the Foxton Harbour Board .should control the wharf. From information that he eouid glean, he believed that the Railway Depart - jnent would make a better profit on haulage per mile on the FoxtonLongburn run than the 'W eilingtonLongbnrn run. The Foxton lino wa-s practically level. A year or two bank witness said he approached the Canterbury Steamship Co. in reference to trading to Foxton, and they said they would do so at the same freights as to Wanganui if they could depend on a depth of 11 feet at the bar. This would be very advantageous to the district. *The Board would he quite prepared to see the finance through to improve the harbour if the wharf was handed over on the same terms as Patea and Wanganui. To Mr Myers : Ho considered the Board was entitled to get the wharf for nothing. The old Board never had, possession of the wharf. In 1879 the Marine Department asked the original'Board if it would take over the wharf and undertake the ♦ upkeep of the harbour, hut the JBoard refused the offer. ■

At this stage the Commission adjourned until this morning. / TO-DAY'S SITTING. The Commission resumed at ten o’clock this morning, the (irst witness being Albert James Kellow, local manager for Levin and Co., who said he bad been manager of the local branch for six years. The whole of the shipping to the .port was undertaken by Levin and Co. The wool business locally had increased in the last four years from 3,5)17 bales to 8,8(14 bales in 15)12, Las! year it was (IJidl. The decrease last year was due to a large, quantify forwarded to Wellington for local sales instead of being consigned to London as formerly. The hemp business had increased from 11,255 bales to 48.0(10 bales this year. The bulk of hemp comes into the shed by carl and punts, the amount received by rail representing about twenty per cent, of the total output. The amount of hemp received into the shed this year was a record one, totalling 48,000 hales. Owing lo local harbour (roubles, a large quantity of hemp has had to be railed to Wellington, instead of being forwarded by steamer, which was more convenient. It the harbour were closed it would have a very detrimental effect on the revenues of the railways, and would also have a detrimenial effect on the industry. It was much more convenient to forward hemp, etc., to Wellington by steamer than by rail. In past years there had been a verv great’ decrease in the coal trade to the port, owing to the increasing dilhculty ot working the bar and river. Sea traffic is always cheaper than rail freights. Some voars ago boats would bring from 250 to 300 tons, but now they could only bring up lo 170 tons. With eleven or twelve feet on.the bar and iu the river, 350 tons could be brought to the wharf. Several boats that at one time worked the port could not do so now. The conditions of the port in the last six years have gone hack. If nothing is done to thej port the conditions will get worse, and this would have a serious effect on the whole district. The district served by the port includes Pahialua, Dannevirke, Marlon, Lower Rangilikei, Shannon, and Levin. If the port is improved merchants in other places would erect stores and make Ibis a distributing centre for the whole district. The shed accommodation provided by the Railway Department at (he port is totally inadequate for the volume of business that'is done. Representations have been made to the Department in (he past for more shed accommodation, bill nothing has been done. The shortage ot! .-died space is responsible for much extra handling and delay, and the cost of working the ships is also increased through this shortage. It the Department expended £SOO lo £OOO in extra shed accommodation they would be able lo effect a saving of about £IOO per annum in labour. Owing to the unsatisfactory stale of the river at present, shipping has to lie suspended during neap tides. The witness gave evidence of ships only drawing six or seven feel. Sea captains had expressed the opinion that a depth of eleven feet could be got and maintained at the bar without any great expense. The Railway Department charge handling charges in addition to wharfages. During the past six years the Railway Department has spent absolutely no money on the river. To Air Afvcrs : The owners oi the ships trading to Foxton are the South Taranaki Shipping Co., the Anchor Coy., Levin and Co., Ltd., and .Johnston 'and C., Ltd. Owing to the bad slate of the river (lie shipping at present was confined to three or four vessels. The reason that the Railway Department ceased ((, get (heir coal through Foxton was on account of the bad slate ot the river preventing their getting the quantity they _ required. The general condition of the river is not as good at present as it was five years

Frank Lawton, -harbourmaster, said he had occupied that position for seven years. Since his appointment the harbour and river had been going hack. The depth on the Ireland river now averaged about 18 inches less than six or seven years ago. The sea on the Foxton bar is not a heavy one generally. Steamers get stuck most on the slum Is in the river. There is deep water both inside and outside' the bar. I lie bar changes, being broad on some occasions and very narrow at other times. If something is not done to keep the river clear the port would have to he closed, The vessels now d<r not bring anything near the quantity of cargo per trip as they used to several years

ago. George Henry Stiles, late Mayor of Foxton, late member and fcliairman of the Foxton Harbour Board, said, in his opinion the prosperity of the district' had been detrimentally affected by the unsatisfactory manner in which the port had been worked. Difficulty has been experienced in getting coal by steamer foi the gas works, necessitating extra expense to the residents of Foxton, Owing to the had state of the liver, there had been a considerable loss in wages, and he consideied .that during the past five years eighty five trips of steamers had been prevented, with a consequent loss in wages for. working. Had the river been satisfactory he would have made Foxton a distributing centre for his Levin business, but the delay in shipping caused by the bad stale of the river prevented this, The ratepayers in the district would not agree to a rating area to buy the wharf as they considered by doing so they would be rating themselves twice. If the Board obtained possession of the wharf and wharfages, he didn’t think there would be any difficulty in obtaining the money

required to purchase a dredge. Mr Hennessy, recalled, said that if the Board got the wharf at the l actual cost price he was quite satisfied that there would he absolutely no difficulty in getting the ratepayers of (he district to agree to a rating area to guarantee the interest, and also to purchase the dredge. To Air Myers ; Would not include Foilding in a rating area. This concluded the Box ton sitting. and the Commission adjourned until Tuesday morning, at Palmerston North, when several more witnesses will he called by Air Weston. Evidence will also be taken there on the railway questions, and afterwards the Commission will sit in Wellington to complete the taking of evidence.