NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 774, 24 March 1910, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

. 4 The public will read with concern the statement of the Chairman of the Harbour Board, Mr. Fletcher, as to the state into which the finances of the Board have been allowed to drift. The deplorable position reached will probabiy occasion more comment even than the means which it' v has been found necessary to adopt in order to place things once more on a. sound footing. Any step in the direction of making Wellington a "dear port" for shipping should only be taken under strong compulsion, and we believe that the Board on the present occasion has had no alternative to the raising of rates as proposed. But what can be said of those who havo allowed matters to drift to such an extent that it is necessary for the Board to raise its rates to shipping and on goods so as to earn so large a sum as an additional £17,640 per annum? The newly-elected Chairman of the Board, in tho course of his speech on this aspect of the position, passed a very significant remark: "Ho hoped the Board would in future guard against foolish expenditure such as it had sanctioned in the past. Unnecessary, costly, and extravagant works had been carried out, and a number of them were very unremnnerative.... . . Had the Board met the position squarely six months ago .and faced it then, they would be in a much better position now." Why did not the Board meet the position six months ago—or twelve months ago 1 What was the attitude of the then Chairman, Mr. T; M. Wilford? Judging by his remarks yesterday, Me. Wij-ford either was unable to realise 'the grave responsibility resting on him when Chairman of the Board, or he shirked his responsibility and left it to his successor to incur such odium as might arise from any increase in the Board's rates. Ifc is perhaps very fortunate that the change in the Chairmanship of the Board took place when it did. It is very much better to know the worst and seek to remedy it than to go drifting , on from bad to worse, lulled into a false sense of security; by the pleasing delusion that "things are boupd to come but right." The Board will do well to bear in mind, that there is another means of bringing revenue and expenditure together than by increasing the revenue. It.is quite possible to cut down expenditure— and there appears to be ample room for economy on the part of the Wellington Harbour Board.

We must compliment the Government on the new railway time-tablo which is to come into operation next month. The serious inconvenience to business people and travellers occasioned by the absurd changes made a few months ago aroused such an outcry, that it was quite obvious that the Minister would have.to remedy the blunder made, but there was a little uncertainty, as to whether he would attend to Hhe 'matter in the thorough fashion required. We are pleased to note that Mr. Millar appears to have , recognised the necessity, for meeting the public's convenience and that the new.services will overcome most of the objections raised to the existing time-table. Through travellers to New Plymouth, and Napier will find a more satisfactory service, and the Main Trunk connections with the Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay have been improved. The earlier through trains to Napier and.New Plymouth will be .greatly appreciated by- business-. people in the towns along.these lines of railway, as it wijl enable them to attend with more promptitude to correspondence on the day of its receipt. .Wairarapa.residents who may wish to travel to the West Coast and back tho samo day. also appear to have received consideration. On the whole we must congratulate the Minister and the Department on the result'of their endeavour to straighten out the muddle occasioned by the recent changes. ''■■". ~ .

At Monday's meeting of the Christehurch City Council a discussion took place which we are sure will be of much interest to Wellington people. The subject of the discussion was the readiness of the Government to make 'unfair encroachments upon the of the Canterbury capital, the immediate text being the Government's attempt to injure the tramway service to Papanui by the grotesque manipulation of suburban railway rates to which we called attention the other day. The anomalies complained of have apparently been rectified in the meantime, but the City Council decided not to let the occasion pass without a general protest against tho Government's inclination to ride rough-shod over local sentiment and local rights. It has for years been felt that the Government cherishes a strong animosity towards Wellington; but it is news to us that Canterbury, as one of the Ohristchurch City Councillors alleges, has "for years been, the milch' cow of New Zealand." In view of the fact tha,t Canterbury is enjoying the ture qf great sums of money .on the. Midland Railway, and has been so pampered in the matter of railway services that the North Island railways have had to, make good the Canterbury deficits-, it is difficult to picture the Southern province as the overladen and; ill-treated "willing horse" of the national team. It certainly seems rather unjust to-, the. Government. Nor were the examples of shabby treatment cited 'at the council meeting very impressive ones. At the same .time, the fact that Can. terbury is very well treated in some directions supplies no justification for counterbalancing disadvantages in the shape of invasions of the local rights of Christehurch. ' To hold otherwise would be to axlmit in its worst form the evil principle that the. general Government may adjust as it pleases the favours it bestows and the penalties it inflicts on the various centres of local government. While, therefore, we shall continue to protest against unfairness in the allocation of State-financed benefits we shall also protest against.the infliction of injustice in any locality whatever. "Wo shall have to show, said the Mayor, "that Canterbury is determined to assort its right against the Government much oftener than in the past, and much more forcibly," While the present system of government subsists—-the system of Executive dominance over Parliament, and of government according to the needs of party—municipalities everywhere will be "well advised to take up the same attitude as that suggested by the Mayor of Christchurch.

A deputation, consisting of Mr. Basil Hewitt (chairman of the Raglan County Council)'and Mr. Annandaln (a member of tho council), will wait on tho .Prime Minister and tho Hon. R. M'Kengio this morning with reference to a proi Tjosal that a bridge should bo built over $ie Waikato Eivot. at h^1167.