WANTED—A POLICY AND A LEADER

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 256, 29 November 1929, Page 6

WANTED—A POLICY AND A LEADER

Tliere are many factors that enter into the harbour deadlock at the Port of Napier. A few of these were touched upon at yesterday 's meeting of the Napier Chamber -of Commerce. For twenty years the port has been in a state of stagnation. For twenty years the distriet has been promised a harbour with up-to-date faeilities commensnrate with the trade of port and the wealthy distriet that 1 ies behind it. In that period hundreds of tliousands of pounds have been expended to give no better faeilities than are provided today, and these are out-of-date. Tlie history of the Napier Harbour Board over the past twenty years is one of dismal failure and disappointment, and the state of stagnation into which it has been permitted to remain has invited the competition of rival progressive ports, and the drift towards eentralisation. The plea for unity voiced at yesterday 's meeting of the Chamber expresses what is almost, no doubt, a universal desire amongst the people of- Hawke's Bay in this respect for after years of talking and biclcering and the expenditure of many thousands of pounds, the people have a right to expect some attempt at & definite programme in harbour development. But a curious anomaly presents itself here. A long list of highly qualified marino engineers, navigators, and experts has recommended the completion of the Breakwater harbour and the recent Boyal Commission, after investigating those recommendations and the considered opinions of a very wide range of expert advice that was tendered to it, unhesitatinglv urged the development of the Breakwater. Yet what do we find? — election after election the people of the countrv districts returning to power a boai'd pledged to go ahead with this condemned inner harbour scheme. That scheme has 'been condemned by marine engineers, navigators, and other highly skilled experts as an unwise one, and the recent Royal Commission pronounced it as both impracticable and unsound, and urged the Marine Department to refrain from permitting further expenditure upon it. Hence the deadlock. The president of the Napier Chamber of Commerce, Mr F. Y. Kettle, is to be eomplimented on the sfcand he has taken in this matter. As he says, it is desirable to get the boats alongside. For years the three Hawke's Bay freezing companies have endeavoured to obtain a wharf for the loading of frozen meat, in order to put them on a more equitable footing with their competitors in other parts of the country, and other traders and importers have done the same. "There can be no question," said Mr Kettle, "it would make a tremendous difference if we could get overseas boats alongside a wharf, but the trouble is that until we get a harbour we can do nothing. Ib seems a question of converting the board." Mr Kettle said it would make a very big difference if we could save the expense of lighterage. The Government, he said, had settled tbe matter of the rival harbours by setting up a Boyal Commission, which had vetoed the in'ner harbour and recommended the Breakwater. It will be gratifying to many people who have at heart the welfare and progress of Hawke's Bay to read the remarks of Mr Kettle. Undoubtedly the distriet is suffering from the stalemate that is permitted year after year to exist at the port of Napier. Napier, despite its neglect, is fourth port of New Zealand for exports and behind it lies a wealthy province and to the north the east coast, which will be rapidly developed with the early completion of the railway. Tremendous possibilities await development. Hawke's Bay needs a harbour. The Government settled the question of which harbour, and the opportunity presents ifcself for a progressive policy of harbour development on the lines laid down by the Boyal Commission. What the province needs even more than that is a leader. For years it has followed a leader that has got it nowhere, For years it has been cleverly persuaded to adopt a course of action which the best experts and advisers in the land have urged it not to take. Given a leader with constructive ability who could lay down a policy on the lines of what has been recommended, rather than what has been roundly condemned, the province of Hawke's Bay would soon, we' feel confident, raliy to support such a programme and thus provide it with a harbour in keeping with the valuable trade that natura-lly leads to the Port of Napier. When such a leader arises we feel sure the distriet will be behind him. Where oan that leader be found?