HARBOURS BILL.

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 95, 19 October 1910, Page 4

HARBOURS BILL.

THE PRINCIPLE OF REPRESENTATION. • GOVERNMENT NOMINEES. The Hon. J. A. Millar moved the second reading of the Harbours Amendment Bill (No. 2). Mr. Herries said he would like to point out that this Bill showed the wisdom of going slowly in legislation. Instead of having an amending Bill next session the Minister had introduced the amendments in time for this cession. He considered the amendments improved the Bill. He congratulated the Government on recognising that the country should have equal representation with the town, VARIOUS CONGRATULATIONS. "I wibh to compliment the Minister on the improvement in th© old Bill," said Mr. J. P. Luke. He thought there was need lor the Harbour Boaras having further power granted them. The Wellington Harbour Board should have the power to reclaim a further ten acres at Evans Bay to meet further slip requirements of trade. ! The member for Masterton (Mr. Hogg) { while congratulating the Government on the measure, -said he would have complimented him more if the Bill had been more comprehensive. He would like to see all country residents taking a much livelier interest in the Harbour Boards than they did now. He wished to arouse general attention with a view of getting rid of that apathy in regard to Harbour Board doings. He would vote for a j thorough constitutional chamber, and re- j presentation that was placed on a broader | baeis than formerly. Congratulations were added by Mr. C. H. Poole. The democratic tendency of the times, he said, made for an elective board, elected by the Parliamentary franchise. There were over a thousand men belonging to the Auckland Wateraide Union who •claimed that if the Cham- \ ber of Commerce had special representation on the boards, they, who were responsible for the safe handling of th© goods on the water front, should have special representation too. The principle could be extended to other guilds. He (the speaker) was strongly of the opinion that repies'entation on Harbour Boaids should be by popular ' vote. In connection with the leasing of foreshores there should be some provision in the Bill making it necessary for the Minister of the Marine Department to confer with the Harbour Board before leasing operations took place. Mr. H. G. Ell claimed that he had made a special study of this question of democratic representation of a reformed franchise. The fact that the Australian coloniea were copying certain lines of legislation in New Zealand was a proof of the Liberal Government's progressive pol- j icy. Mr. M"Laren declared he was not so sure of that : it seemed to him that the Government had two or three policies. In regard to representation on Harbour Boards, the Government did not guarantee loans to the Wellington Harbour Board, and it had no more right to re- j presentation on that board than it had j on the City Council. He favoured a broad basis of representation, and was altogether antagonistic to class representation. When the Government proceeded along democratic lines it need have no fear. He was not sure that the Bill was democratic enough. "This debate strikes me as being a twice-told tale"— thus Mr. G, W. Russell. He thought that the general principles of representation should not have been ! discussed at the length they had been, so keeping the Bill out of committee. Mr. G. Witty considered the Bill a progressive measure. "COLOSSAL WASTE." Referring to the "great waste of public money" stressed by a previous speaker, Mr. H. J. Greenslade emphatically averred that no board had made such a colossal waste of public money as the Auckland Harbour Board. Ho suggested that with country representation this would not have happened. Mr. Buchanan said he considered the country districts had heretofore .been very inadequately represented on Harbour Boards. He looked forward to the time when Government representatives on Harbour Boards should be done away with. It must be obvious that the element of political interference in what was essentially a business concern should not be tolerated. Mr. J. T. Hogan stated that he thought that members of the House would find little to cavil at in the Bill. Still, there were one or two unsatisfactory features. He thought the time had come when the Government nominees should be done away with. If they could not be got rid of altogether the number should be j restricted to one Government nominee on each Harbour Board. .What did the Minister want the nominees for? He (the speaker) was rather surprised to see that it was proposed that the Government nominees on Wanganui Harbour Board should be increased, making two. Special representation by payers of dues should not be allowed. The Bill was read a second timo. Thedebate ended at 9.30.