HARBOUR RATING

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20634, 14 August 1941, Page 2

HARBOUR RATING

WANGANUI MEASURE OBJECTIONS IN HOUSE INCIDENCE ADJUSTMENT (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. A lengthy discussion took place in the House of Representatives yesterday on the Wanganui Harbour District and Empowering Amendment Bill. It arose when the chairman of the Local Bills Committee, Mr. J. W. Munro, reported that the committee recommended that the bill be allowed to proceed. Mr. W. J. Poison (Nat., Stratford) said that when -the bill was before the committee the chairman had laid it down as his opinion that th? committee was only concerned with the rights and prerogatives of the Crown, and not with the rights or wrongs of the bill itself. That, he claimed, was Parliament's responsibility. The evidence which had been given before the committee, he said, was sufficient to show that the bill should not be allowed to proceed. ,It was prepared to tear up a contract, and even the evidence of the representatives of the Wanganui Harbour Board was sufficient to condemn it. The bill proposed to destroy a contract which provided for rating on the city and country districts, so that the burden would be increased on the country districts, although the country had deteriorated while city values had increased. “Justice Should Be Done” The House should see that justice was done. It should not allow hardships to be imposed on people who had no say. He moved that the bill be referred back to the committee for further consideration. The amendment was seconded by Mr. J. N. Massey (Nat., Franklin), who said the whole evidence tendered to the committee was strongly opposed sto the bill being allowed to proceed in its present form. Mr... C. L. Carr (Lab., Timaru) said that if the value of property in Wanganui was increasing, then proportionately the people in the town would pay a higher rate, and if the value of property in the counties was depreciating, then the people in the counties would pay lower rates. Mr. J. F. B. Cotterill (Lab., Wanganui) said the bill would correct the injustice imposed in 1913 —an injustice that stood out more to-day than when Wanganui had an adequate secondary port. The work done on the harbour had been largely successful and was of equal benefit to the farming and city areas. The Hon. J. G. Cobbe (Nat., Manawatu) continued the debate until 5.30 p.m., and a motion by the committee that the bill be allowed to proceed was talked out.