FOXTON HARBOUR BOARD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2102, 13 March 1920, Page 3

FOXTON HARBOUR BOARD.

A meeting of the Fox ton Harbour' Board was'lield at Palmerston North yesterday affenioon. Present: Messrs P. Heuuessy (chairman), AV. Bock, J. Linklater, T. J, Claphain, D. AV. Matlu-ou, and E. R. B. Holbein I .OCA If CO AIMITTEE’ S REPOR T. The Local Committce.’s report, as follows, was read and adopted: “Your Committee regret, being unable to report much progress since last meeting in connection with the erection of goods shed and building pontoon and * punts lor the dredge. The Roams engineer lias made every effort to get satisfactory tenders for these works, those so far received being considered much beyond the estimates. A\ e think it .now becomes a question for the Board tu emisider whether further wailing is desirable, or whehler (he conditions must be laced, and the works proceeded with. 1" ordinalel\, the pilot reports the bar and river in fair working order at present, and for some time past. Mr .lickoil has been asked to attend the meeting, and he should be able to say if plans, etc., can be modified, so that some of the work may he gone on with. The dredging machinery is being overhauled, and the engines, etc., attended to, so that there will be no loss of time when the pontoon is built to carry it. Beyond this there is nothing to report, but the Committee would be glad of anv suggestions the Board can make to expedite the better working of the port.” Air Buck said it was now a question for the Board to "decide lion Lit they were prepared to go. At the present lime the trade to the port was very small indeed, and the Board had I" consider in Hew of this whether the whole scheme, of improvements laid down should be carried out. The Palmerston North business people and others bad said thiit, if the Board provided the facilities the trade to the port would , ome. would have lo (Mime to some decision in this matter without delay. ■ Mr Linklater said the Board was commit led to the dredging scheme, and must go on with that. The Chairman said that since the loan was sanctioned the cost of dredging had been doubled, and the revenue of the port had decreased bv about To per cent. He said that recently a company w;i- lormed with a capital of £OJH)O to purchase the s.s. Kennedy for the I'oxton 1 r:ide. and of this sum no less than £4,01)0 was provided by Foxlon people. Alost of the Foxton money Wits subscribed with the object of fostering the trade In the pori, the question of dividends being a. secondary consideration. But that idea had not been carried out, its he had Just been informed that this week the vessel came to Foxton with a cargo of general, discharged The cargo, and left, empty, for Terakohe lo load cement for Wanganui, notwithstanding the Diet that there was hemp for shipment Irom foxton to Wellington, and b 0 ton- had to be sent a way by mil. Apparently the vessel had been sent to Wanganui because a slightly belter freight bad been obtained. Neither he nor Mi" Bock would have put money into the company had they known that this sort of tiling wits going to obtain, Air Bock said the Foxton directors should be asked to make inquiries into the mallei’. In response to the Boards letters to the Chambers of Commerce in the district, asking for (heir ('(.-operation in increasing the trade ol the port, the Foxton Chamber wrote asking wind progress is being mil do towards getting Ihe dredge in working order, and when the Board considers that the river will he more suitable for shipping.

The Palmerston North Chamber advised that they had circularised tradesmen on the mallei’ of goods traffic through Foxton port, and would acquaint the Board later as to any further action. Ihe Chamber’s circular to tradespeople showed the comparative cost of transit: between Wellington and. Ihe Manawatu by rail and through the Foxton port, the hi I ter showing a very considerable saving. The Chamber’s covering letter was as, follows: “My Chamber is anxious lo lind out whv more use is not made of the Foxton HaYbour, and would be particularly obliged if you would send me your reasons as early as possible for prefering railway carnage. The Foxton Harbour .Board is taking steps to improve the river, and both the Chamber and the Board are anxious that the facilities should be taken advantage of to the fullest extent.

Mr Mathcson said the Board was on the right lines in getting the cooperation of the Chambers of Commerce in this matter. From the figures’ submitted it was shown that there was a very considerable saving in freights by using the port. Mr Bock said that the Palmerston Chamber of Commerce was anxious to assist the Board in ineio-. using the trade to the port. . The Chairman said that he had interviewed Mr Fuller (.shipping manager for Messrs Levin and Co., Ltd.), with the object of getting other vessels to trade to Foxton, but Mr Fuller had stated that the difficulty was to get the boats, none being available. Mr Bock said that the only way to increase the shipping was to get:

competition. . Air ITolbeu said another boat was required. He and other busincs.iirms hud repealed experiences of having to get their goods by rail from Wellington because the boat running could not carr\"V.il the cargo that was offering. Mr Mathcson said that Fpxtou was the natural port for a very

extensive district. The Chairman said that at present the Board was paying the Railway Department Is 2d per ton for handling the goods. With their own shed, however, right on the water front, the biggest part of this sum would bo saved. Air Bode said if they waited for the price of material to come back to normal they -would never get their goods shed eroded. Mr Linklaler said they should go on with the dredge" without 'delay. At present there was sufficient shed accommodation for the business offering, and probably the erection of goods sheds could he held over for a little while. The Chairman and Mr, Bock pointed out that with their own shed the Board would save biggest part of the Is 2d per ton for handling now paid to the railway department. Mr Alalhesou, asked what the overhead annual charges would, he if the Board creeled and conducted their own shed. Air Bock said (hat interest and sinking fund would he roughly 1240. Then they must have a secretary and wharfinger, at a salary of about £250. It was a very difficult matter to sav what the casual labour would amount to. The Chairman said he was m favour of going on will) the buildings, but be was opposed to (he Board running the goods shod as he believed a very satisfactory arrangement could be made with Messrs Levin and Co., Ltd., to handle (he goods. Mi" Matlieson said lie wanted to" know what the estimated revenue and expenditure was. I util he knew that he eoidd not express an opinion. Mr Bock said that A 1 A>o<» would" more than eqver the annual expenditure. The revenue from wharfages for the last three months totalled £4OO. Mr .Matboson said that on those figures the proposition that (he .Board should rim the shed itself seemed a good one. Ah- Bock appealed to members to take more interest in the Boards affairs. Too much was being left to the local Committee, and it was not fair 1 hat they should he asked to (nice so much responsibility. Mi- Matbescu said he was anxious to take a greater interest in the .Board, and to shoulder his share <>l the responsibility. After some further discussion it was decided, on the motion of Messrs Mulheson and Biuklater, that a special meeting of the Board hi l held in Buxton as early as possible to go fully into the matter of the Board’s estimated overhead expenses and revenue in view of the building proposals. # . ' THE DREDCE. Tim Board’s engineer submitted estimates of the cost ol ouilding pontoon jo carry dredge, and also punts for receiving the spoil. It was. decided that instructions be given I lie engineer to at ouee proceed with the const met ion of poulnii/i-: and installation of dredge machinery at estimates, given. XIAV HOODS SI!if!). A tender was received a! the lasi meeting for building goods slu'd and liaiT in hardwood. It was decided P> instruct i!ie engineer to get an alternate lender for same in red FLAX REFUSE IN RIVEIL The Pilot reported that he made ' an inspection of the river from the Deads to the Shannon bridge, and Dial |he Foxloti mills were -quite. Hoar, the refuse living taken away, in earts, but at the mills higher up stream the hanks are thickly covered. so that at high tides and floods it must he washed oil, and several drifts were at the time coming down stream. It was, decided that the attention of the Alarine Department he called lo the quantity of rubbish being put in the river from mills beyond the Whirokino Bridge. DEPUTY CHAIRMAN. The chairman (Mr B. Heuuessy), -who is leaving (his month on a vi-sit Home, was granted six months !e;ive of absence, and Mr 4. Lmklater was appointed deputy-chair-man. ?di‘ Linklaler thanked the members for the honour conferred on him, and sit id he would,do his very best to till the position satisfactorily. He knew he would receive the hearty co-operation of his fellow members. SECTION S TR AN S FERRIED, The following transfers were approved: Air IT. Walker to B .Archer, E, Prati to AV. S. Dustin, Mitchell to Lew, C. Dahl to L. V. Dahl, A. If. Smith to W. F. (Jreen. and M. Sarlhew to L. T. Brown. It was decided that on nil future transfers a foe of £1 Is Od must he paid to the Board by the transferor.