HARBOUR BOARD REPUDIATION

Auckland Star, Volume X, Issue 2984, 7 November 1879, Page 3

HARBOUR BOARD REPUDIATION

(To the Editor.)

Sin, —Your denunciation of the conduct of the Harbour Board in dealing with the reclamation made by the city in Freeman's Bay hardly does justice to the subject. A more disgraceful thing was never sanctioned by a public body. The Council were to blame for listening to a proposal which Inn depreciated many ratepayers' property fifty per cent. The way the work was begun - for it is worse than worthless to the city—wants examining, aud its authors ought to be brought face to face withtheiatcpaycrs. It was bad enough if the city had obtained the allotments as a setoff for the wrong done to ratepayers in tho Bay, simply to benefit I'onsonl.y and give the Harbour Board a wide and costly road along tho foreshore,instead of an inaccessible cliff which rendered reclamation by the Board from that side almost impossible. But now that the Council is likely to ho cheated out of the miserable bait which it snapped at, and is compelled to maiutaiu two expensive streets on its western boundary—one yielding no revenue, and only giving access to a few harbour endowments formed with money drawn from the city coffers, I wonder what its authors will have to say for themselves. —I am, &c.,

Victoria-street West,

To the Editor

Sib, — Tho Hnrhortr Board have so long been accustomed to treat the citizens and public opinion with contempt that 1 am not much surprised at the latest attempt lo tiick the ratepayers. By its utter incompetence in the matter of the dock the Board ha. made Auckland a fourth-rate port, and its other acts have surely lilled up the cup of its iniquities. The people of Auckland are fond of holding public meetings over mat-tet-d that don't concern them ; hasn't the time come for holding a monster gathering of ratepayers to represent, in the first place, the opinions of citizens on the last tiansaetion of the Board; and in tho next, to memorialise Parliament to abolish tho Board altogether, and place its affairs under the direct control of citizens. I understand Sir George Grey has expressed opitiions favourable to the latter course with tho object of making Auckland a free port to which ships may resort without being liable to extortionate charges. The conception is that of a master miud, capable of taking in at a glance the commercial supremacy which Nature's endowment to Auckland in our noble harbour should confer upon her if wisely used. I would call upon tho Mayor to convene a public meeting at once to give citizens an opportunity of expressing their opinions upon these subjects. The Harbour Board were apparently acting in good faith with tho city while tho Council were spending thousands of pounds upon this roclaniatii n and road, and repudiation at the end is unpaiiloniible.— Yours, &c, Citizen.