HARBOR BOARD PROPOSALS.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 September 1918, Page 7

HARBOR BOARD PROPOSALS.

To the Editor. Sir, —In reading the report of the Harbor Board's meeting at Okaiawa on Friday night, I feel somewhat disgusted with the extremely selfish attitude taken up by Messrs Corrigan and party. It seems to me, Sir, that being defeated at the other meetings they have gathered up their parties and descended on Okaiawa in order to gain a win, as undoubtedly if Okaiawa had been left to itself it would have heen in favour of the proposal. It certainly shows the truth of the matter when they have to resort to such practices to gain their cud. Inwardly, they know quite well the Harbor will be an immense benefit to themselves, but they want to get clear of their own before helping others. Mr Fowdrell plainly says that they will ship through New Plymouth if we'll get ocean liners and can do it cheaper thah Patea. In other words, he means, "You pay the cost and we will reap the profits." Isn't, this nice for a man in Mr Powdrell's position? Then the aforesaid party practically accuse the board of trying to get the shipping companies to charge coastal freight so as to gain their own ends. They needn't worry, for the companies are not going to pay freight if they can load produce with tiieir ocean boats, and the board need not worry on that point. It will happen sure enough. To the party I say: "Suspicion ever haunts the guilty mind." They are certainly acting meanly because who can afford to pay tho rate (if necessary) better than Messrs Corrigan, Pease, Powdrell, Murdoch, Marx, and Astbury, men with plenty of land and money? They rwtainly don't want to help tlie little fellow and others in less fortunate localities. Mr Powdrell, at last year's annual meeting of his company, said it cost them 7s per ton to land their cheese on rail. Then if it costs them another fls to land it at the' works it means £6O on every 100 tons output, whereas a coastal factory would pay £2.5 per ton, or £225 on every 100 tons. Now, with the Te Roti-Opunake-New Plymouth railway, when constructed, these coastal factories from Opunake upwards would land the cheese anu butter at Moturoa works for about 12s per ton and put them on a basis with Kaupokonui shipping to Patea, and what will help the railway quicker than direct shipping? The party should think of other parts of the 3rd area as well as their own. Then, again, when Patea was full of cheese last year, didn't Hawcra Dairy Co., of which Mr Corrigan is chairman, send their cheese to Moturoa, and then when his company was asked to take up more shares so as to enlarge for storage of cheese for the coming season, didn't Mr Corrigan oppose? Yes, of course he did. A regular dog in the manger trick. They are willing to reap the benefits, but won't pay their share of the costs. Mr Corrigan says the board is 50 years ahead of its time. Well, they are to be congratulated on it if they are. Mr Corrigan would build a harbor, say, up-to-date and then stop and keep patching up as time goes on, and probably spend £OOO,OOO by the time he had acquired a harbor fit to berth the biggest vessels. Instead the board has drawn up a far-sighted policy. I would remind the party of tho meeting in Hawera re, dried milk, when Mr 'Powdrell said all factories should pay their share towards the cost of enquiry and so forth, towards finding out all particulars re dried milk and milk sugar, because it would mean move for the cheese of smaller factories if the likes of his company went in for dried milk, yet ho must know perfectly well dried 'milk, etc., will never be to the benefit of a large number of smaller factories round the mountain, hut he will get his information cheaper. Now I will say to the party, play the game as men should do. Mr Corrigan says wait till after the war. I say get ready now and collar the trade as soon as the war is over, not wait and get ready for it when it's too late. Mr Powdrell says the Freezing company's boat wouldn't set back loads from New .'Plymouth. Surely, he must know if direct shipping is carried on at New Plymouth goods from overseas wHI come

direct to New Plymouth, ami will be distributed from there tip and down the coast, instead of from Wellington and Auckland. Then if dried milk comes in the making of Taranaki's produce, what will suit it better than direct shipping? In conclusion, I hope the party will try and take a more moderate view of the matter and act more fairly and manly.— I am, etc., FAIR PLAY. Raliotu, 26th 1 August.