THE HARBOR BILL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 227, 18 September 1908, Page 4

THE HARBOR BILL.

IX XIIK LIiCJSLATIVE CtJL'NCUL. TIIE I'OSITIUN UGVUSWIiIX 111 moving the second reading of the New l'lynioulli Harbor liuard Willpowering liili in the Legislative Council, the lion. T. Kelly dclievercd a very interesting ..speech on the u-'. : .>-.iiy for improving the harbor aad its facilities. Tile breakwater, he said, was doing very good service. Ji was a solid worK, giving shelter to vessels in all states of the wind, except the north, and as that was along the shore, it did not raise much sea. It ua.s found necessary that power should be given, to extend the breakwater to I enailile vessels in all sets oi tile wind and ill all weathers to be sheltered there and also to enable vessels ot larger draught, doing the toreign trade, to come into port and to discharge their cargoes with- safety. Now, the present breakwater was -2100 ft in length, and ill order to make the shelter perfect' power was taken to extend it liTOl't, anil when that extension was completed the breakwater would be half a mile in length, and would elfectually shelter vessels that sought that port. At tin; present time the depth of water at tli? wharf was about loft at low water, spring tides, the range of tides being very°high, ranging 12ft. This great rise between low water at spring tides and high water at spring tides gave a great advantage to the port. Wellington, he believed, had only about 4ft of a

difference. When the breakwater was extended to the full length of 2770 ft there would be a depth there Of 25it at low water, spring tides, and consideral space at that depth. And at the wharf, when it was extended, it was proposed to dredge it to 30ft at low water, spring tides, so as to take in thu largest vessel trading to the Dominion. The cost of the breakwater during the last three years and a-half—that was, the cost of putting in an effectual base of rubble, and building a concrete top cap —was about £4B per foot fonvard. The work had oeen done very cheaply and well; it was 119W a solid structure, and would resist any force of the sea j that came against it. Future extensions of the work further out into deeper wafer, would cost C 75 per foot, lie desired to explain the present financial position. There was a loan just maturing early next year' of £200,001), 011 which tlie Board were paying at the rate of (I per cent, interest and 1 per cent, sinking fund. The intention was to pay off that loan of £200,0110 by borrowing a new loan 01 £200,000, which, with the present sinking fund in hand of £65,000, would pay off the existing loan, and would give them; £(15,000 (less charges) to carry on the work of extension, and provide a larger dredge and other plant required in order to

carry on tho work successfully. Now, in order to do this, lie had gone into calculation to see what the Board would have to pay annually to effect this. The Board would have power under this Bill to levy a maximum rale of 3 / t d, y 3 d, and Vid in the pound of capital value, affording to the district. There were three separate differential rates. The largest was around Xew Plymouth, the next applied to the country farther nut. and the other that which was still more remote. The maximum amount of the rate that could he levied would he about £15,000. But, in addition to this, the land revenue was estimated at -C4OOO. the rents derived from endowments at | ;C 1-500, and the revenue of the Board | wharfage £13.000. He estimated that | the Board would not require to levy | more than one-eighth of the maximum

rate in any year to supplement the revenue. This would equal the sum of i .CIOOO. The present valuation of all thesejjansd s amounted to about £8.000.000 in the three districts, and the total maximum rate that could lie levied would bring in £15.000 a year, provided by way of security for the loan, one-eighth the maximum rate were levied —which was the total amount whir!) would be necessary to supplement the revenue—it would produce £IOOO a year. To show how little that rate would affect the country district*, he might mention that in the case ot No. 2 district, which was the one that woul 1 be rated highest, it would only amount

to fis per annum on each thousand pounds .of capital value. In the cose of No. 3 district it would amount to 5< per annum for each thousand pounds of capital value, while in the No. 4 district it would amount to only 3s per thousand pounds of capital value. Therefore, the rate would be simply a nominal one. The estimated revenue of the Board was as follows:—*2s per cvnt. of the land value of the district would amount to aibout £4OOO, the rents of endowments to £ISOO, and the Harbor Board dues to £i;),000. If the rate were fixed at one-eighth it would amount to £looo—niiiking a total revenue of £21,0(10. The full amount of the now loan proposed to be raised would not be raised at once; only £200.000 of tho hum of £300,000 would be required to begin with, and to pay the interest on this, assuming it could be obtained at 4% 'per cent,, and a 1 ]>er cent sinking mud, £II,OOO per an•mini would be required. The ordinary expenditure of the Board would lie about £'oooo, without allowing for any expenditure for further works. That would give a total charge of £20,000. leaving a. balance of £IOOO for contingencies, and would enable'the Board to meet all the charges. The Board woul.l then have about £»;.">,000 for the purpose of purchasing :l JJcW dred'-e and' the works, v.hile the utmoai they could «aiely expend per annum in order to ensure the stability of the Work:; by the settlement of the rubble before finishing with concrete blocks would be about £lo,ooo—that was, for quarrying the stone, laying it in position, and building up the superstructure, hi the meantime, further plant was required for dredging, and it 'was estimated that such a plant would cost about £30,000. Further expenditure was required for the purpose oi extending and widening the wharf. >So that, on the whole, the amount proposed to be borrowed would be sufficient for carrviug out the. two works .successfully for" the , next two or three years, and at the end of that time, of course, they would have to borrow further money to extend the works. The total efi'ect of these improvements, when the whole work was completed, would be that there would be a depth of 30ft of water at the wha.'f at low water, and 25ft at the end of the breakwater, and vessels of large draught could there take in and discharge cargo with safety. That statement fully explained the financial position oi the Board..and fully justified them in applying to Parliament for means to cany out this important work, which was of colonial as well as local importance. He did not think it was necessary for hi'ii : to give any further explanation to the ' Council regarding the desirability of givI ing full ejl'ect to the intentions of the I Board, For about two hundred miles of I coast-line there was no shelter in stormy weather, with the exception of bar harbors, which i svere not approachable in stress of weather, and consequently the only shelter available iir strong south-east and south-west gales was at Xew Plymouth. In the old days, when vessels had to anchor in the roadsteads. they had to run to Port Hardy for shelter, but now steamers trading on the con>t came in and went out of | the Xew Plymout h port in all weathers, and discharged and took' in their cargo, lie did not believe that one vessel <n two years had to pass New Plymouth through weather conditions, and when the breakwater was extended as proposed it would be a harbor of refuge. .

The Hon. Mr. Luke "desired to second 1 lit* motion for tho second reading o't th* Bill. Ho highly appreciated tlie outerprise. ami he believed credit was due t.o tin: Now Plymouth Harbor Board for their outlook and provision for the future. He felt sure it woutyl commend itself to honorable members. Tlio Hon. Mr. Canieross said that the Pill, before them was one that "was asked for throughout, tlie whole of the district, puldie meetings having been held in its favor. The people were looking forward to it as a measure that would relieve I hem of some heavy burd'vus. lie would point out to Ihe Oonnei! that tlie Kill contained Ihe principle of dillVi'i iit'iil nil in:;, As the law stood at present. a Minilar rale, was IcvifMl allover the district, no matter how dispruportionate the auiount of benefit received from the h;irbor work*. That anomaly was being removed by the Mill.