THE HARBOR PROPOSALS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 159, 26 June 1908, Page 3

THE HARBOR PROPOSALS.

Under (Ik* beading "The New Plymouth Harbor and the Province," "Progress" write.-* to the Uawera Star: - "The controversy over the New Plyni nil : i Hui'lmh' Kill pons more interesting a■» it progresses.. As a ratepayer it serin* to me that the opinions of the geiulemen who have so long fought for the rights of the southern districts are mi titled to the utnio.st respect, and gjod reasons indeed nhould Ixj shown for i jetting the proposal against their advice. Ou the one, side of the argument- ] we have the certainty that the ratepayers in the southern district will hav- 1 to pay I'tjual interest with the northern division oil a loan of £1."30,01X1. with a very poor prospect of the Board providing a sinking fund; and against this we have the differential rate proposed with various sums earmarked for pay- | ment of interest and sinking fund, these appropriations being._in 1 lie opinion ot Messrs. Maxwell and McLean, sullieient to free t hi* southern ratepayers from any rale at ail. Surely the opinions of two >urh well-known business men are entitled io respect. But there is another consideration which is altogether undervalued by the opponents of the Hill and by the general public: that is. that the Dili will provide funds which will make

the harbor a deep-sea port. The engineer I is most emphatic on the point, ami he ithe expert aud should know, having been in charge lor many years. Probably as a result of the ill-feeling which was ere- : ated years ago, owing to the heavy rating on the harbor, tlu-re a feeling ol indilVerence ami hostility u> Hie New rlynioutii harbor which i> greatly to be deplored. That a deep-sea harbor, and that the only one on the \\e<| (.'oast of this island, is not required i-> an asser- ; tion that speaks of a mo-t anta/.ingly | pessimistic view of the future of what is considered the richest and most closely settled part <>f the Dominion. We as a

nation havr been striving for long \va:s liast to ger possession of harbors even in the uninhabited i>!;imls of the seas, anil surely a iiarUir within a feu miles <>! 11- is worth a little sacrifice to make. I'atea is held up as I Ik- natural port fur this end of the province, and so it is as far as the natural conditions allow, Imt even the energetic and sanguine gentlemen who control the affairs of the port do not pretend that it can Ikmade a deep-sea harbor. The fact is, hotli places have their destiny and will lie all the more useful as time goes on, and in the meantime the competition and rivalry between them is a benefit to the province. What is needed in Taranaki just now is a more active publie spirit and some common sense, that the |H'ople may unite in pressing on the attention of the Government. In return for support for the harbor at tUis end tlie northern end should unite wit.i us in pressing on the construction of tli.; I'lains and tlie Stratford-Ongarue railways. These railways are the leeders for tlie liarUir, and it is in the prosccu tion of these works that tlie province should be united.

The general public do Hot uuderstaii.l the extent of the country served by the harbor. For instance. l»y the proposed Stiatford-Ongarue line New Plymouth will W .nearer to the Waimurino t'oresi than Auckland is. Tlie line will open up the coalfield, outcrops nf which can be M'eii iu the U-d of nearly every stream from districts across the Wanganui river to the sea at Mokau. Unfortunately there is at the present time too much local feeling in the province giving vejit to demands for local wants such as the alteration of the line in the town of New Plymouth, work's which could have waited'for years, and the heavy payments for which must evidently retard the progress of other works of a far more important and better paying nature. Union is strength, and this part of the Dominion needs a little more strength to make her demand* known and to get her jusf share of the public* expenditure. I lirmly believe that we have in the proposed works undertakings which are second to none i» New Zealand as good business concerns, l/'t us unite and j»et them done."