SHIPPING AND THE PORT OF FOXTON.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4450, 10 May 1930, Page 2

SHIPPING AND THE PORT OF FOXTON.

DISCI'S,SED BYBIIAAIBEE OF COM AIEECE. SOM F INTFICFSTINfi FACTS. Mr 'TI. Osborne submitted some iuto rest ing figures to the monthly meeting of the I’oxton Chamber of Commerce on Thursday evening in legat'd to shipping .at the local port. He said there had been a good deal of comment com-jr ruing the port ilali !y and perhaps it would lie news to some people to leant that tin* m.v. Foxton had made seven trips to I'o.xlmi (ami there would have been eight, only for I lie Faster lioldays intervening) during the past, month. (;n each of those trips the vessel bad brought in lull tons. The vessel was capable of handling 230 lons but was only allowed to come in dt a wing' not more than a six foot draught on neap tides, and this limited tlm Foxton to lot) tons. Touching on freight charges obtaining ill the local port. Air ()s - lioilie said that he went through the freights with the Harbour Hoard secretary and as agent, for a vessel trading locally had provided him villi the ligures which were quoted b\ Mr Perreatt. They were absolutely correct and Palmerston X. merchants could save an enormous amount of money annually by shipping- through the port of Foxton. Freights were offering and it only required the Harbour Board In keep a careful watoli over the river to make a -access of the port. The m.v. I'oxliin, however, had been specially constructed for the Foxton trade and had proved successful in every respect. Tt was able to negotiate the liar and river even in iis present state, night or day. There was seven fool of wafer reported on the bar that day and there were only one or two bad places in the river which required attention. The Foxton was fully booked up for its next trip ami if the river had been in belter condition the vessel could have accepted more cargo. The rivet trouble was I heir only diflieiilt v. '•'■oils had to be i ailed to Lyttelton at present and consignees had to obtain trucks which had lo be ordered in advance. If on the vessel's arrival at Foxton it was detained by reason of the bad state of the river the people in the South Island bad to pay storage charges and i.[liter til an do that many of them

sent, their goods by other steamers to Wanganui. People who said that i 'l-xtoa was not and never would be a port did iml know what they were talking about. The figures plaeed bei ore the last meeting of Ihe Foxton Harbour Board were correct and if the saving was only .10/- a lon, given seven feet of water, the vessel could bring in glib lons of • arg-o per trip, which, at seven trips per month meant a saving- of .£“00 in that time, "and yet," said Alt' il-b.irnc, "Palmerston N. complains

about having to pay its quota, nmounling to about £-11 Mi. The eontcuimly n> a whole benelils by this 'aving if tin* merchants don’t aelnsiiy gel that amount." Mr Alsop considered the vessel at ■Caen; trading to the port the best boat that had ever been in the trade Mr Osborne: The vessel is fast and can do ten knots, umking tint boat capable of lining the trip to Lyttelton in tewlv-two hours.

Air Christie said he thotlgltl tin recent criticism of the Board would 'i" a lot of good. Personally lie wo-

1 aid sooner see .CJOO spent on improving I lie river than in plantin',' murrain and lupin at the Heads. The Hoard's lies! da ytasw ../'iilltffti Hoard’s iirsl duty was to the port. The Houid wants business but it. must, tiis; make the river tit. for .-•hipping, he concluded. Mr Osborne: If the boats wore running’ reyiilailv there would he no reed to strike a rate. The Chairman said the Harbour Hoard's position was due to a manifestly unfair charge made by the Railway Department for the wharf, originally constructed by Hie Public Works Department. A Harbour Hoard was constituted many years aye but it became moribund ami the Railway Department look charye of the wharf and the .Marine Department charye of the river and paid the wages of a pilot, the Railway Department, look ail lhe revenue from the wharf and paid nothing to the Marine Department which consequently sliow<d a loss. For many years the Railway Department was rceeiviny a revenue of £2,(100 from the wharf " hieli was paid into the working ae'“iint of ilie Railway Department, which body never put one penny back’ into the wharf. The Harbour Hoard was then resuscitated and flc Railuay Department demanded the

miiii of £20,000 tor the wharf. :\ i '<iiiiiiiissi<.n was set up under the l.,l! Chief-tllsl ier, Sir Robert Stout, v. iiieli found that the Railway Department was entitled to Co,ooo. This severely handicapped the Hi r'■•mr Mourd ami it was still bearing ; he burden ol that- ,Co,ooo. From mi ».| uii;ii>|c point of view il was ;i most unreasonable thing that- one public body should charge another body such a sum for the wharf in * i, ‘" ol 1 lie laid that that liodv was workiiiy ill the interests of the community, and specially in view of the tact that the Railway Department had never put one penny piece back ‘Mu I de port. At the time the Railway Deartment bad control of the wliarl the Foxton railway was ihe best payiny branch line in Now /lealaml, due to the fact that the Railway Department used to obtain d.-- coal through the local port. Mr Osborne: They used to nui two and three special trains a night l hen.

Continuing, the Chairman said that the Foxton Harbour Board area encroached on the Wellington Harbour Board area. Before a rating area could be defined the sanction of loeai bodies concerned dad

to he obtained and in.making a canvass of the district in this respect |hd late AlrTlemtossy, then chairman of the Board, told the local authorities that if they gave their sanction they would never he levied for rates, but lie was then banking on sufficient shipping producing the necessary revenue to meet interest and sinking fund on the loan rais'd to pay off the Railway Department, and pay working costs. .Shipping slumped ns road transport ' ame into competition with the re- " 11 that the Board’s revenue dwindled. Shipping was, however, now getting better and the Board was practically -elf supporting. Mr Osborne said that Wellington Ircights were not obtainable now. lltese came by lorry, bin there was pb'itty ot ea i go offering in the South 1-la ml.

The Chairman said that people should support the port which was a means of connecting the Xorth and South islands. The critics of the port no doubt meant well but they were not conversant with the position. For a person to say "Do they want us to give them a port and n boat, too” was foolish.

Mr Christie said that the Foxton Borough Council, by taking a direct shipment of coal through the local port saved £SO.

The Chairman said that the Railway Depart meat had offered to take 1.-'idf) tons of coal a year through tin- local port if the Chamber would give them the name of a reputable lirm prepared to bring the eoal in a: a reasonable cost. If the river wa-, right the shipping would soon come.

.Mr ( hrislie: Thai would have to in a one-way price?—Yes. Mr Smith said a canvass was made of Wellington but no lirm would accept the offer. Mr Christie: Yes, but there are more vessels offering now. -Mr Alsop said the shifting of the wharf to Rush Flat would possibly be the best solution of the Board’s I roubles.

It was decided lo take no action it; the matter (lending further action by llie Harbour Board.