OPUNAKE HARBOR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 167, 14 January 1914, Page 7

OPUNAKE HARBOR.

MKKTIXI! (>l' RAT-EPAi'KRS. I'KOPOSKI) r.OAJf OF £48,000. The Opnnake !faibo-i" Hoard is considering the <jni-.stion of providing facilities for .shipping at Opiunako so render the hay safe for small vessels at ■ all seasons and in all weathers, and with thi.-i object in view is holding a scries of meetings throughout the harbor district, placing before the ratepayers data to enable them to consider a proposal to raise a loan of £48,000 for the jmrp'ose. The meetings are'being held for a two-fokt purpose, viz.. to familiarise ratepayers with the project, and also to ascertain from the feelings oi the ratepayer* whether it is worth while going' to the expense! of taking a poll on the question. Three meeting's have so far been held, and though each lias been in favor of the loan, the attendances ! lravc unfortunately been so small that it is hard to see how the Harbor Hoard van gauge the opinion of the ratepayers therefrom. At Opnnake some thirty were present; at Oaonui, half-a-dozen; at t'ihama, ten; ami at Te Kiri two. The,latter meeting wasf postponed. Even though it is admittedly the busy season in the country, the apathy of ratepayers in this important matter is to be greatly deplored. f Messrs T. I'. Ilughson and A, 11. I Moore liivve been deputed to place. the question before ratepayers, and they have gone about the work in a thori ough manner, having quite a mass of j statistics to support their case. At the Hihama meeting, over which Mr. ,1. I Allen presided, Mr. liughson referred to I the steps thiit had been takim to have llie Opunake harbor district separated I and also the Harbor Board formed, with j certain .reserves vested in it, and with I certain powers. It now remained to I take the necessary steps to put theye J powers into practical form. T!i<-y hud, J lie said, gone carefully , into the ligures, and were surprised to find the vast loss .that was annually occurring in the district through the delay in going .in for harbor works at Opnnake. There was a natural formation and natural facilities at Opuinakc which other places would,, he said, give thousands to posses*. Ah-

other advantage wa# the quantity of raw inateriiil in t-lio foreground. Tlic.r had gained experience from other place* where expensive concrete work had biien .foiflid to ho a failure, and luul luul to be protected by rubble work. lie «crtainty considered that the pwent tim# wan oj»portimc /or harbor works at Opu■ake. He referred -at lciglli to a cir•uftiir w;h.ieh bli<'_y hail compiled. and wliieli showed that on imports and «x----ports liy road anil sea in (o awl from thu lm.rbor district alo*e.a:t annual »aviiip; of £41i07 «oiil<l be maile: on imports and exports to ami from th# district outside the harbor iistriet, lint whith would 'tie gertal by the feurbur, itiere would lie «. Mi.vintr of £1'!!)0. making a total wiving of £o*l)7. Tii*-, ?«vi«e was ou freight alwie, anil I In-v listtl eaieulated on the mvir «iiln. Xor had they allowed for any reduution in wharfage anil Uniting fhdi'gws (,<N 4d) which. it be woirM be tuiiKidrrably reduced. To rlTeef thin, lie pointed out. that it w«utd be necessary te provide iiili.rc*t oil JC4B,«SK» (sn.c £24(111), liaibonnaKli r £!;>;>, -ecrutary. et«., .C2lSt. lttbov .CHW; a tivt-il of £4853. To meet this expenditure lie <'.s,titii*tcd tlifit l'twerves and (hipping dues would firoduee JC-HU mid wharfage (im MOP inns * 4-v) £IM, leaving a, deMt of £US.I fc> 5)8 prorided by rale. ft w«s. he toisiderM, tt (food propiwitfoH tt» •pend JJI4M in order to effect a (i\Ym£ of £(!U!>7. '111!' tcwl question, lie :«iit), tvn.i tfo-iiag to be a one. as lirewood wim Irt'eoßiiiifj sum see. It, had benn said tlmt Hie probability of ob(he railway would prevent Jhf ■lmrbor scheme liein** s>-one oi with, 6«t he pointed out Hint they Mere not at nil antagonistic —omi wwuld feed the oilier. He illustrated *cveral instances of the great saving between Mti-bonw friight <lB compared nit.li that earned on land, savin" that the reeent .<strik« luul forcibly brought this home. To provide for the infercst on the loan it would lie necessary to strike a rate of 11-Kitlm of a penny in the £ over the country properly and 2 1-1 fid over the town property: but it would only lie necessary to collect a. rate of fi-liHhs of

:t penny over (lie. enmity and 15-llilli of :i penny over town properly. lie wauled to dissillusioni-e Mit'in til' I lie ill;'H, tlin(■ tliey would lie pavinii a rate, lieeanse indirectly they would lie saviv; a rate, of 3d in the U on accauul of re<liKv<l freight. Mr. Lanihio wanfeil mine fiuaranfeo (bat. U4S.l'(:(| would i!u all lliat was ro- <)<■ ircd. lie would like to see tlie plans submitted io the mectiirj'. His iilea was Hint, it was a ibiir linnlle. as (he ili»triefc was small and the limn lar':e. Everyone. 'however, inusl investijralo I'nr himself. He. lnid liopeil soinothinp; could he done for halt the money, but would be si>rry to see nnythimr done !ha( was not. effective. A harbor in which boats } could lie in ul! weathers *'onld he n j jrroat; thing for.thr ili.ilrict. Mr. Moore said, tiiat the Hoard bail no I funds, and did not wish to to any I expenso .bofore obtaininir ail expression of opinion. If sulTioicntly supported, the Board would consult, au ouuinoor I and have a plan, placed before vatopnyI era before the poll. Harbor eonstrue--1 tbn, be considered, was but Another I phase oi the co-operative rvMohi so well I known in Taranaki, viz., bindino' (o-

• gotucr for the good of all. Utiles,) they made the best use of the reserves and poweri given them, iiiis (iovernmcnt could -Jtep in, and tliou the Opiimtko harbor district would revert to New Plymouth, and there would he no one to help them out again. He instanced how advantageous the lmr!>or would lie in the. matter of freights, pointing out that. the. rate could be saved on one item alone, viz., the carriage of their dairy produce. The Bill provides ih.it the town shall pay three times as much as the country, and rightly so, as thi' town reaped most benefit and should help tilio country. 11l fact, all depended 011 lnittcr-fat.

Mr. Mcliwen, a- member-of ihe Harbor Hoard, referring to the steps taken to get clear of New Plymouth, remarked that they were now clear of all borrowing. They had no loan at their backs, and it rented with themselves whether tiliey rejected or carried dr.' loan of which wa.s tiie k\i.,t it co'.iM be done for. It would 'be \ears, lie said, before they would get any relief from the county -rates, as the harbor could not be built in a day. Sow Plymouth had promised them big Home boats in three years. Thai was i-ix years ago, and' tihe big boats were not there yet. Now was (he time for !)pullilko people, to say if they were prepared 'to take np a burden of J2.jO.IIOl). They could not produce plans, as tliev had not Is to pay them with: in fact, the expenses of the first election were not paid for. He understood that Mr. LYnis Williams, of Lvtieltou, had .been paid £IOO for plans at the time the Opunake Harbor Bill was put through the House, and these would he available for fill lire work. He advised them to think carefully over what they had to gain 'bv karbor facilities. Tlicv had, lie. said', lost sight of the. fact that local dairy factories had capital invested in Moturoa and Patea freezing works, which would be lost if they shipped to Opiinake. In conclusion, he pointed out that the Board would po=sm,v bo better oil' for funds .shortly as the leases of the endowments fell in, and, moreover, they might take a little of the Jetty Company's tariff. Mr. .Moore said that the present position of the jetty was not ail that could be desired. The landing charges (8s id) were too much foi> the settlers to pity, say, on manure. There would be a l)ig decrease in the county rates with shipping facilities', as the heavy ,j-ton waggons at present in use would not allow of a l%d rate maintaining the road. Stive money, he urged, bv opening the port.

Mill. Davv considered it would be economical', judging from the lignres submitted, to build the harbor, lie would like,however, to see the plans before de. chling the question. Mr. Llughson s:iid that Mr. Cyrus Williams had estimated that a harbor could be obtained for £-12,DU0. lie conld not reduce this and give effective results. They nm-t have conlidenco in the opinions of a practical engineer. lie did not think Opnnake would be troubled witn drift. Though the Jetty Co. had not paid -great dividend-, the work it had done had been of great advan 1 tagc to the district, and the Government had recognised thin by making special grants, and he etmskleml that the company had the right to expect tllie same until the Harbor Board was prepared to take over the work of the port. Personally, ho would oppose taking over the jetty from tiic company until it could be shown that it would be of practical untility when the harbor works were completed. Meanwhile he was not going to. unduly 'hamper the Jetty Co. iMiu Tosland asked', if the loan were net carried, what line of action the Hoard would follow.

Mr. Huglißon Baid tike Bonrd was of so use; without the ratepayers behind tliem. The Hoard so far had considered only tihb loan. If thin were not' at•epfeible they would have to consider •fcher steps or pise railgn. In ro.pl v to flirtlior questions, Mr. Hughs'on said lie did not know wliefher Ike Act wwuJd allow them to go in for o. small loan and t/iko over the Jetty Co.'s works tind put on a small launch. I'nlewi they lead better fjiciUlicH tkc only way they eould make it pay would be liy incr*«mn£ the charges. a eour.se wliieii was objectionable. The -Jetty Co. was 'bound to the. pre«iit charges, and Iwd never [laid a dividend. There was ho nsepssity for the iiowd to takf over Uie jetty. It was optional, not esmpnlsory, a lit) was subject to valiuttion In' jikU'Stilliom On the motion of Uf.-r* flarvop and MeEweii. II was vmolved--That tliix wieetlng is i« fnvor o(. borrow-in:; £!SH,SWI far harbor workn at Hp;»mke, in arecmleiciit I>y Mewa Dary nml IYtti»rev -Thai Whs desires tlie Uwird to proceed fiii'lher with the loam proposals— xva* lo4\