HARBOR DEVELOPMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 March 1919, Page 6

HARBOR DEVELOPMENT.

CAP,IAIN REYNOLDS ON NEW* PLY- j MOlPi'H prospects. I In conversation with a News' representative yesterday, Captain ReeceReynolds, of the s.s. Giaucus, which has brought a cargo of guano from Noumea to New Plymouth, expressed some disappointment at the conditions prevailing at New Plymouth, which necessitated his vessel lying idle at the wharf for two days on acocunt of the shortage of labor. He suggested that the difficulty was probably caused by the limited facilities for shipping, which, if developed anil increased, would probably attract sufficient labor to the port to work vessel--. without necessitating such delays, which were really a great expense to the shipping firms. Captain Reynolds said that with such country at the back of the port as there was surrounding New Plymouth, the people of the district should set about improving the harbor with all possible speed. The accommodation was altogether too small for anything but the ordinary coastal trade, and he said the country deserved a better harbor. Cajptain Reynolds said there should be no difficulty in making a harbor at New Plymouth, such as was contemplated ill the proposed improvemertSj and he sincerely hoped the people would give the Board the authority to proceed with the work at once. Even a little more berthing accommodation would be a big advantage temporarily. The captain went the length of saying that it should he possible, if a proper harbor was provided, to make New Plymouth the landing port for all mails from the west, as the port was, ho Imlieved, about 100 miles nearer Sydney tlian Wellington and some 150 nearer than Auckland. That would be a great boon, not- only to this district, but to the whola Dominion. He also saw the immense advantage to the district in the matter of handling its export produce, as the necessity of transhipping from here to Wellington would lie done away with, thereby effecting considerable economy, while the advantage of direct importation needed no stressing. Captain Reynolds said it- was likelv that something in the nature of direct regular shipments of guano would he attempted. and he hoped to see the lmrbor improved in the near future. He stated that in the two and a-half years he had been on the Glaucus lie had never on anv previous occasion, at any port, been held up for two days on account of shortage of labor.