THE BUCHANAN SLOGAN

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 68, 22 April 1929, Page 6

THE BUCHANAN SLOGAN

W'c liave on more tlian one occasion quoted from ISir George Jiuchanan's famous statement of principles governing tlie incidenee j of barbour revenues. One of tbe i generalisations in that document | ougbt to be blazoned in every liarj bour board office: — "It sbould be i remembered tbat tbere is a limit lo tbe capaeity for payment by both sbipowners and mercbants." Tbis of course is a truism, but it is one tbe memory of wbicli sbould be kept green. We repeat it now ! to utter anotber obvious trutb, but j a trutb too often ignored. It is that tbere is no magic in public finance, no bottomless fund to be dipped into by those entrusted by law with tbe power and ; authoritv to impose charges upon j public services. All such services I must be bultrcssed by and based | upon fair and business methods. Tbis need bas been recently empbasised, in regard to our Ilavbour Eoard, by Ihe appeal made to it by tbe three Hastings freezing companies to provide tliem with facililies to load tbeir meat on to shipboard over a wharf. Iti our comments upon and estimates of tbe board's revcnue and expcnditure we have erred, if we have erred at all, on tbe side of moderation and prudence. AYe have not over-estimated revenue on ihe one band, or underestimated necessarv outgoings on tbe olher. We have indulged in no too optimistic forecasts. In tlie future, espcciallv if tbe now belated accounts justifv it, we will gladly call attention to tbe possibilitv or probability of an improved outloolv. IMeanwhile we continue to emphasi.se tbe danger of an optimism not justified by results or figures to date. An election is now near at hand, an election wbich all well wishers of tbe district hope may result in a board with an improved personnel. In that hope we suggest that tbe new board sbould appoint an int-elligence and publicity committee, the dutv of this bndy being to get into toueh with I all industries in tbis growing dis- J trict and keep tbe barbour 's faeilities before all possible ex- 1 porters and importers. Tbis, next! to tbe provision by tbe board of ; anotber wharf at the Break water, will do more to defeat the Wellington sclieme for penalising all Hawke's Bay trade by sea, tlian any other method wliich could be adopted. The board must strive to arouse and fosier a spirit of loyaltv to the district 's barbour and of co-opera-tion in the task of building it up, so prompting progress. Tbe board sbould put before tlie people the risk of stagnation and retrogression if the cunning and selfisb scheme put forward by Wellington, under tho specious title of tralisation of shipping," were carried into effect. This is really a scheme for annexing Hawke's Bay to the Wellington barbour district, thus placing Hawke's Bav producers and importers in tbe unsatisfactory position of having their barbour poliey dictated by tbe Wellington Harbour Board. Tbe chairman of tbe Napier ITarbour Board, with remarkable courage or equally remarkable folly, has announeed that be is "not one scrap afraid" of' cen tralisation. Tbis may stand for bis actual frnme of miri'd, but the district tbinks otberwisc, It recognises that unless the policv and procedure of the board are not much better in tbe future tban in ihe past, tbe risk of tbe success of tbe Wellington scheme is very real indeed. From a sound policv prosecuted' by a progressive board two benefits will flow. Firstly, it will produce revenue that will leave hinds available as a justifieaiion for an an assistance in further construction and development at i he Breakwater harbour ; secondlv, it will be a clear indication to those central Government administrators wboso duty it is to control and sanetion barbour development as a national enterprise, tbat the Napier board is eommitted to sound ideals, and bas closed tbe ora of working for an amateur's projeet "in spite of all engineering advice to tbe eontrarv." The board to assist the district must give close attention to expenditure on administrative working and on genernl expenses. If, without assistance from rates, in 192728 the revenue aooount shows a eredit balanoe, it will be pertinent to ask: How bas this been mado possible? If it is construction al work tbat has been cut out, the question will arise: Can the procoss of eutting out not be carried further? It will lie remembered that in a previous artiele we ref erred to works in process that wero rather reluetantly recommended for eompletion by tbe Boyal Commission, on tbe ground that contraels were let and in progress at tbe time. The prices for some of these contracts were in

alternative figures; one price if tbe construction were in stone and a higher price if construction were in conerete. When Parliament sanctioned tbis work on tbe adoption of the Boyal Commission 's recommcndation it authorised the lower price onlv. This spirit of caution might be carried even further. Is it possible even now to re-eonsider some of tbis authorised expcnditure? It is not compulsory tbat we spend it, nnd tbe possibilitios of eutting down expcnditure on eonslructional work at tbe inncr barbour sbould be fully explored. Fvcry £100 of unspent Ioan monoy ! saved from unnecessarv elaborate I work at tbe inncr barbour can be j put to exeollont use in tbe barbour i tbat represents tbe future of tbis district.