GREYMOUTH HARBOR BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 7481, 27 March 1888, Page 2

GREYMOUTH HARBOR BOARD.

At a meeting of the Harbor Board held cat Grcymouth last evening all the members were present but Mr Sheedy. Upon the circular from the Government, asking the Board to resign in a body, being read, Mr Seddon moved, and Mr .(Juinness seconded, a resolution to the effect—" What the Board, after careful consideration', do not see their way to acquiesce 'with, the Government's request that they should resign in a body, for these reasons:-(l) The Greymoiith Board was constituted under a teparate measure, and distinct from the VVestpoit'HarbOf' 4-fit; (2) individual appointments arc madp by tap ftsyeriior under section <t of the Apt, and jt is on}y reasonable to expect that strong grounds must exist before His Excellency would be advised to take such an extreme step ; (3) by the Board resigning in a body it would be doing, as it wer'o, tl;afc which, under clause 13 of the Greymouth Harbor Apt, Parliament alone has power to do—viz., declaring the works to be colonial works-and might bo construed as recommending Parliament to dissolve the Board, and that the Board admitted maladministration or incoiiipettmoy, or, on the other hand, that the Board desired local cortroland administration together with the valuable cjidpwments to be taken away." Mr Seddon adyo&ajuad the resolution in a long speech, aii<l »r,ot,cs]ted against the Greymouth Board being requested to resign by a copy of the same circular as the Westport Board, as if one body iya.a as culpable a« tho other, whereas no charge had been brought against this Board of maladministration or incompetency, while Parliament tried and condemned the Westport Board. The resolution was carried by four to two, Mr j?ejfcyis calling for a division. He; and t)?e chairman "Voted against ft. Mr Petrie tlifeu handed in 148 resignation. Mr. Seddon spoke la UiUf terms of the' traitorous way in whieh the Board bad been used and its character misrepresented ill all the local papers, and by means of false telcraina sent all over the colony. The Chalr#.n, although opposing the resolution, aa/d net raaign until the othcV wmhm dW E # °r'tt l ? # oa s y^j abolished, \