The Daily News. SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 1901. THE PATEA HARBOUR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 126, 22 June 1901, Page 2

The Daily News. SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 1901. THE PATEA HARBOUR.

/Wh?k discussing ths establishment of a butter grading -station at Pa f ea, we" explained that wo wore actuated solely from the belief that the interests of h* dairy industry would be bett'.r set veil by; baying only one grading stat/'on for. Tawbaki. ;. We.beliewe that it is generhwC our Pat*a friends, who also admitte*'shiß in their desire to benefit: 'Patea, tpok up the position that this station shotld bo at P*tea. This, of cours*,. truant abandoaicg the most complete and ul works in the colony, and shipping arrangements that have stood the (est of long experience, for what at the best must be termed a rinky experiment. Our P«t«a friends have, however, committed ■■ themselves to the experiment, as far as the dairy product of their end of the district is concerned. We do not feel so strongly over tha matter as to wish them anything tlse but success in the future. Our opinion of the wisdom of the step being taken Has not altered, and we fear the result will 1m very ansatisfactory, and entail a very large and altogether unnecessary expenditure. The chief reason for fear as to the result was the condition of the port. Having a somewhat intimate-knowledge of the Pa* est River, its history, and the various engineers' reports that have been published from time/ to lira*, we .have little hope of shipping arrangements being made of jan entirely satisfactory character to I enable large quantities of butter jto be ' dralfc with economically, ex-p-ditiously; and with absolute certainty. ' S ill, as we have said, we hope things j will, turn ent better than we fear, and j ae successful as the promoters hope f- r. jWe are glad, thert fore, to see tha' ! steps are being taken to minim'se the risks as far as possible. In another column we publish a very full bud comprehensive report on the Patea Harbour from Mr Leelio Reynolds, a tentlcm»n wko is steadily making a name for himself as a marine engieeer. Mr Leslie Reynolds appeals to take a very (anguine view of things, and considers that a very great and useful improvement tould be effected at a comparatively r.asoaablecoet. InTaranaki, where hnrfcour questions are of such vital importance, to tha weHfare of the community,. Mr. Reynolds' report should ba read with great interest, and every one will hope that his predictions will be fulfilled. We do not presume to criticise Mr. Roynolds' professional opinion. Everybody who knows anything about the Patei River knows thatgeod work has already beep dene, and it is generally recognised that P«tea has had better results for the money spent than any port in the colony. Whether Patea can finai.ee ■ Mr. Reynolds' schems we cannot say, but it appears to be intended to borrow j the sum of ,£25,000 and, d&vo'ing aj j portion of it top*y off an existing Iran, j apply the grfa'er portion to carrying I out; Additional; i in'erebt will be taken in the matter in ] N T ew Plym< nth, because of the effort" 1 made by membersof the New Plymouth i Haibour Board to gtt Mr. Reynolds to 3 report en the harbour at the breikj water. We must corfess we should j bke to s«<o this dene, so that some d«-fi- | nite schema of harbour improvement jcould be undertaken. With the desire Jof the people a*i Patea to reduce the ritk of delay, ftc, in connection with their port, we have every sympathy, and shall watch fn'ure developments «hh iuterest. Wo may say we are indebkd fur a copy cf Mr. Reynold's report to our Patea confemporaiy