HARBOUR BOARD CONSTITUTIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 204, 27 August 1909, Page 4

HARBOUR BOARD CONSTITUTIONS.

Auckland is by no means the only city in the Dominion in which the constitution of the local Harbour Board has from time to time provided food for public discussion, and the proposals just considered by the Wellington Harbour Board should command a good deal of interest and attention 'here. One of the Board's committees has recommended that the Minister for Marine be approached with a request to recast the con stitution-of the Board on the following lines: That the Board consist of 14 members, but that the Mayor of the city shall no longer be included "ex officio"; that five of these members representing the city of Wellington and three suburban boroughs be elected on the municipal franchise; that two members be elected to represent payers of shipping charges and harbour dues; that one member be elected by delegates from more distant suburban boroughs, town districts, and counties; that two members representing the Wairarapa, and two more the Manawatu district, be elected by borough councils and local bodies; and that two members be nominated by the Governor. It will be observed that an attempt is made in this scheme to distribute Harbour Board representation as widely as possibly between all the various seotions of the community and district which have even an indirect interest in the administration of the port and its commerce. At the same time, the introduction of the municipal franchise as the basis of election in the city is an attempt to insist upon the right of the general public to a voice in the management of the harbour. These principles evidently commended themselves to the Wellington Board, but members were not altogether satisfied trith the details of the committee's scheme. Eventually it was decided to jecommeud that the Board consist of onl£

E 13 members, that the reprsentation of i the city be cut down fron}s to 3, and ''hat Kurori, Miramar and&nslow, previously included in the citvjbe combined ' : with Petone and the Lowr Hutt and i the suburban town districtfand counties ' i to form one electorate iturning two members. Otherwise the Committee's , suggestions were adopted rithout alteration, and we have now to see what Government will think of ttem. So far as any inference can be dawn for our own benefit, we may point out that the new constitution for the WSlington Harbour Board particularly enphasises the importance of the rural ai well as the urban interest involved in Harbouh Board administration. Whether our own rural districts have so direi and serious an interest in the managenent of Auckland Harbour as the Manaviitu and Wai- • rarapa districts have in tie control of ' Wellington Harbour is, of iourse, a matter which is at least open to discussionBut the community of ruial and urban Interests in this respect nust be recognised to some extent evaywhere. The proposal to elect city aianbers by the direct vote of the ratepayers is an interesting innovation which, from the democratic standpoint, present? certain obvious advantages, and is veil worthy of consideration at the hanls of our local bodies. The payers of slipping and harbour dues, it will be noliced, receive a fair proportion of membsrs in the new scheme. On the whole, without committing ourselves to unconiitional approval of the Wellington Harbour Board's proposals, wo think thai they embody several important principles which well deserve attention from the people of Auckland and the local Harbour Board when the question of its constitution is raised again.