On With the Job!

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 68, 22 April 1929, Page 8

On With the Job!

ITHE DESIRE FOR A CHANGE Are We Approaching A New Era URGENT NEED FOR A HARBOUR (No. 2.) The Royal Commission, appointed by the Govcruor-General, to inquiro and report 011 the best harbour for Hawke's Bay, was so emphatic in condemiring tlie inner harbour projec-t as impracticable and unsound that it might reasonably liavc been expected that those persons who liave for years urged tliis seheine would havc dropped the idca alt&gether and tlirown in their weight with the rest of the district to conceutrate on preparing the way for a deep-water harbour at the Breakwater. The development of tlie Breakwater was not onlv recommended by the Boval Commission. It was recommended by the Government Engineer-In-Chief and by t'lie two eminent Australian. engineers, Messrs Cullen and Keele. It is not onr intention to do ariything to precipitate an. argument on the merits of tlie rival harbours. The bad old days of hickering are, we trust, a relic of the past. AA'hat amazes ns is the faet that, dcspite the definite deoision of Messrs Cullen and Keele in favour of the Breakwater and despite the finding of the Royal Commission against the inner harbour and in favour of the Breakwater. the Inner Harbour Party are determined to fight on. Henc-e the announcement of inner harbour eandidate?? for various seats on the Napier Harbour Board at the approaching election. Alost people were prepared to aceept the dccision of Messrs Cullen and Keele. in favour of the Breakwater Jmrbour, but when the Royal Commission eonfirmed that decision a large proportion of the electors were satisfied that it was impossible to proceed further with the inner harbour project and the onlv course open was to coneentrate 011 the Breakwater, whieh offers an immediate opportunity for development. This is what the Royal Commission bad to sav about the inner harbour: — "We liave obtained from the secretarv of the Harbour Board an estimate of the cost of putting t'lie inner harbour into a state of good repair and reasonable efficiency for its present-day work. We have cheeked this carefully, and we believe that it is a good and reliable estimate. The secretary briugs the amount out at £.'19,000; the details of this are shown on exliibit No. 90. We submitted the same question in relation to the Breakwater Harbour, and we were supplied with an estimate prepared by the secretary, showing the amount to be £5300. We believe this to be an accurate and safe estimate. By the expenditure of these sunis, and by devoting to the question of improving the industrial, meclianical, and administrative sides of the board's work the energy which in the past has been dissipated in partisan warfare, we believe the board ean improve its revcnue with its existing facilities, undertake a useful policy of reclamation, and thus buikl up reserves which will comparativelv quicklv put it in a position to consider a further constructive policy. "It is true that this policy will in tlie meantime leave the Napier harbour with the necessity of using lighters for the bulk of its export trade. This is inevitable, however, and any disappointment that mav arise therefrom is not due to our recommendation, which is made after fully considering all the facts, but must be laid at the door of those who in the past liave made proniises whollv- incapable of fulfilment. The people- of the district by printed pamphlets issued in 1920, when they were urged to sanction the loan for the inner harbour seheme, were invited to 'Vote for inner harbour loan. . . The harbour with 110 rates.' In a summary of advantages printed on the same pamphlet the ratepayers were told that the inner harbour "would not cost the ratepayers one shilling" ; that the land reclaimed alongside the shipping 'will more than pav the total cost1 ; that 'all shipping will gladly avail itself of the inner harbour; there will be no need to urge them to make u.se of it1 ; that 'all the lighterage charges can be saved by a small expenditure of £250,000 011 the inner harbour, and that land-rents will pay the interest.1 As against this the eviclence satisfies us, and we believe that it will satisfy any intelligent ratepaver . who will take the trouble to study it. "(1) That in the financial period onding September 30, 1926, after taking credit for rates, £14,731, the Harbour Board's outgoings oxceeded its revenue for the period by £8087. "(2) That for the year ending September 30, 1927, after taking credit for rates, £14,693, the year's working expenditure exceeds the year's revenue, according to the seeretary's estimate prepared at the end of August. "(3) That the construction of the harbour would have involved an annual interest charge at least equivalent to the annual lighterage charge. "(4) That for ten years to come, at least, the ineome from the reclaimed lands will produce little, if any, more than interest 011 the cost of reclamation. "(5) That, at best, tlie inner harbour would have been a tidal basin into which only one overseas ship could pass either i.i or out at eacli slack water of high tide, and then only if favourable conditions existed at the mouth of the channel. "(6) Whilst at the worst, marine superintendents would forbid altogether the use of the inner harbour by their company's' sliips. "There is, therefore, little room to doubt that if the inner harbour were lmilt in accordance with the Harbour Board's plans, the district would >e required to carry:— "(1) A considerable portion of the preseut cost of lighterage. "(2) Interest on the cost of construction of the harbour. "(3) A heavy annual charge for maintenanee dredging. "(4) The old hurden of harbour rates." Thus it will be seen that the inner : harbour project must be abandoned j M a harbour for deep-sea vessels. How I

mueh better it would be for the whole of Hawke's Bay if INIr J all and his old supporters would gracefully retire and make way for a new party in harbour affairs. It is mnny years sincc the Breakwater Party have had an opportunity to take control of harbour affairs at the port of Napier, but there is in the opinion of many people a groat need for a change. The opportunity for this change presents itself cnrl.v in Mav, when an election will be helrl to fill twelvc vacancies on the Harbour Board. "What is the use of Mr Jull again parading his inner " harbour eandidatesp This project is overwhelminglv oondemned finnlly and definitely bv all the engineering and navigational experts. Mr .Tull has been at the head of harbour affairs here for 16 years. By no stretch of the imagination ean he claim to he the man who has got things done. Admittedlv a elever talker he has vet, in our opinion, to nmve himself a elever worker. Tt will be a red-letter dav in the nnnals of Hawke's Bav when ATr Jull decides that there are other activities of a most prossins nature tn claim his attention. "We micht then be able to eet on with the job.