THE TAIL AND THE DOG.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 799, 23 April 1910, Page 6

THE TAIL AND THE DOG.

ME; CRAWFORD QUOTES HANSARD. Mr. Crawford gave lait night some additional facts in the history of the Harbour Board Bill of 1908, and' tho Miramar betterment clause. Ho said that, his opponent had tried , to refuto his provious statements, and had failed. The question was of considerable interest, because it would enable the people to judge whether he or his opponent was the better man, and which of them had the best of. the fight they had two years ago. The Miramar Borough Council, with himself as Mayor, a little more than two years jjjft, negotiated, «n agreement waih the

Wellington Harbour Board. The signing of the agreement was delayed on the part of Miramar, because it 1 re- , ferred to a Bill, and the Bill had not been submitted to the Miramar Borough Council. The board had sent a message to the council that they, wanted the agreement signed. His reply was that.it would not bo signed until tho agreement was submitted. The council next received from the board an official letter enclosing a copy of what was stated to be the clause referring to the agreement. A copy of only one clause was sent, \whereas there woro in the Bill two clauses referring to the agreement. The Miraniar representatives, not knowing this, signed the agreement, and bo considered that their signatures were obtained by a trick. Subsequently they asked for an explanation, but none was given. Realising that they had been tricked, they put tbar backs to the wall and fought. Mr. Wilford had said that he tried to bluff him (Mr.

Crawford) about the betterment cknse, but let them hear .what Mr. Wilford said in .the House. Mr. Crawford then read from. Hansard, Vol. 143, the following extracts from Mr. Wilford's speech on the seconds reading 'of the Wellington Harbour Board: Reclamation and Empowering Bill, July 9, "So far at tho principle of bet- , terment is concerned, 1 ; cannot give way, and I will ask honourable members of this House to uphold the 4 principle." ; "I ask those honourable gentle- ' men who oppose the principle of .betterment to understand that if , ; tho House, in its \ wisdom, says: '■. 'We will" not have the principle of ■■ : ; betterment applied to this land,' '■' than the whole of'the'betterment clause, and the whole of the clauses regarding the reclamation of Evans Bay must go." .' ''Let me say to those who aro opposing the betterment principle that, if that provision, is left of the Bill, then the, Evans Bay reclamation, ha-3'to go."

Mr. Crawford nori recalled that Mr. WilfoVd said last Thursda? night' that he did'notj at the time referred to, care a snap of the fingers for the betterment j-clause. Could they approve thia sort of thing? Further, if they would look at the agreement as attached to the Bill when it was introduced in the Housoj and coinpare'it with the agreement as finally embodied in the Act' when it pasaea the House, they i would find that tl.ny were two quite different things. That was because he.got Mr. Wilfotd absolutely on his knees before him, and maie him give a new agreement. He had to tear up the one which bad been obtained Iby a trick, and adopt a wow one on his (Mr. Crawford's) terms. "Who was wiped out that time?." asked Mr. Crawford.