HARBOUR BOARD ELECTION

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 123, 28 April 1925, Page 12

HARBOUR BOARD ELECTION

SPEECH BY MR H. TOLLEY. (F'rom Our Own Correspondent.) Mr 11. Tolley, a candidate for a seat on the Harbour Board, addressed a meeting of electors in F'eilding on F'riday evening. Mr L. T. McLean, chairman of the Kiwitea County Council, presided. At the outset Mr Tolley spoke of the impossibility of contesting such a wide district as the one for which lie asked their suffrage. What possible community of interest could Otaki have with the country about the Rungitikei, and these were Ihe two extremes of the district. If elected he would strive to have this altered. It seemed to him that neiv blooti was required on the board so as to bring the representation on it up-to-date. The speaker had been asked who could vote, lie had gone to some little trouble to find out and had been advised that those entitled to vote were every elector on the county council’s roll and every elector on the municipal roll. Further, complete lolls would be available at each polliug booth. The Wellington Harbour Board was a very wealthy institution, having a surplus lust year of £47,413. Its revenue consisted for the most part of wharfages collected on goods going over the wharves and dues from ships using them. The wharfage tax was mostly an indirect one and it was only in the case of the heavy class of goods that it could he passed directly on to the users. The present policy of the board was to have Wellington the best equipped port in New Zealand, but they would pay too much for this equipment. At present a tug boat and floating crane were proposed to be purchased, although the general manager had reported that the lees received would not pay interest. It was very necessary that care should he taken before expenditure of this sort was undertaken, and it was his opinion that due economy was not being observed. An improvement was necessary ill the facilities for handling heavy goods, such as grain, fertilizers, etc. Every wharf and every shed should have railway lines allowing these goods to be transhipped direct into the railway trucks, install! of having to cart them through Wellington. If fertilizers could be put direct into trucks it would mean a saving of 5s a ton to farmers. It was proposed to reduce the wharfage charges by about £20,000. per annum by making an all round allowance on dues. lie would like to ask Mr Cohen if it w'as Iris idea to have this ull round reduction. Surely the producers were entitled to more consideration. Under this scheme drapery' and fertilizers would share equally in the reduction. Would it net be better to make a larger reduction on fertilizers •than on drapery? The former would increase the country’s wealth und bring increased produce (o the board for export and would be sounder business. Mr D. 11. McLean proposed a vote of thanks to Mr Tolley for his address and this was carried by acclamation.