The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY. THURSDAY, AND Saturday Morning. Saturday, September 29, 1888. THE OLD SUBJECT.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 202, 29 September 1888, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY. THURSDAY, AND Saturday Morning.

Saturday, September 29, 1888. THE OLD SUBJECT.

Be just and fear not; Let all the ends thou aim’st at be thy country's, Thy God’s, and truth’s.

The harbor question is now placed before us in a more forcible light than it has been for some time past. It has been decided to take * poll, and things are at any rate on a more defined footing. We think the Board acted very wisely in delaying, even for * short period, the proposal that a poll shqpld be taken. One of the greatest mistakes that appears to have been unassociable with the history of the harbor is the continuous rushing into things without giving different points the cool nonsideration to which they were entitled. At the vary outset this blunder seemed the evil genius of the whole scheme, and it has digged it ever alaae,

first the district wgs led into the belief that no rates would ever ba required—that if certain sources of revenue failed, tils Government would take us by the hand, and lead qs on tn a land of plenty; or rather, assist us to 1 develop the resources of our own land of plenty. But these ideas soon vanished when the actual pinch was fait, and Parliament came to ba regarded in the light that a child would regard a cruel and heartless father—obey we must, no matter how unjust was the treatment. The plana were prepared, and rushed away to Wellington, the voice of the public being ignored. The consequences of that mistake are now too well known to require further reference. Then the scant courtesy with which the Board treated the depn'a'ion of rate, payers *>as another ill-considered and false step, it only an account of its inconsistency, Indeed, a(l tbyoggb. tj)era have been examples of this want of forethought, ferrence says—- •» Wisdom consists not in seeing what i» immediately before our eyes, bat in foreseeing what is to come.” And the fault has always been of looking too much to the p esent and not sufficiently to the future. Even now we are not at all certain that the members of the Board are conversant with all the points upon which the ratepayers wi'l require explicit information. On a careful consideration of all the bearings of the question, we are convinced that the ratepayers have byt one rational coarse open to them: they haw qqt got the opportunity allowed them of deciding pn many things upon which they might desire to do so. The question simply is. Shall we risk a further small expenditure on a doubtful work ? sr, Shall we meekly tear a lasting burden, with a monument of folly before ua for the rest of our days ? That, we are assured, is now the position, No matter how we may teal JncHnad to lament it, nr abuse those who have brought it about, the facte igugt be faced. If the ratepayers reject the only alternative which Is now offered them, we do not think there is a ratepayer now Jiving jn Gisborne who will see the works started age;.;, eq the present or any other site, and lh«M appears no possible way of evading the burden already incurred, For our own information we have madeenquiries, ejtbar in a direct or indirect manner, from all »ouMe*, interested and impartial, as to what effect ths woyk If likely to have on the river, and we must confess that the variety of opinions are a puzzle to us. Gae man will say that it is simply throwing money into the sea to coniinne the work, and »Im that it will completely ruin the river, i Anotiisr oqs, who ought to be quite as competent to judge, jyjU unhesitatingly assert i that thia is all. nonsense, and that the river is t better now than it ever was. But on carefully I considering all the opinions (and altogether i omitting the Enginesr's), our own conclusion ’ h that ths rinr will bo aseaied while the i

structure remains as at present, and on its going further there will be a silting process, but so slow that it will not ba serious, or, at least, not so harmful as would be the stoppage of the works at the present stage. The commercial aspect is one which strikes us as in reality the most important—indeed it includes all the other points, because the work, is understood to be an ordinary commercial speculation. There appears to be a brighter fuluie before us than was anticipated a few months back. Wheat has made a good advance in price, and the wool market holds fairly steady. These two facts are of great moment to this district. Add to this the possible outcome of the oil industry. Faith has been so often shaken in this direction that some think the hope a very faint one. Still it is quite as reasonable to have hopes now as ever it was, because though the management has been bad, certain grounds for grave doubts have now been removed. Then we are firmly convinced that much benefit may be hoped for from Mr Bees’ visit to England. We do not wish here to open up a controversy on this much-discussed subject, but we say that if only on account of the way in which the district has been advertised, a great amount of good must result. Every journal in the colony has been treating of the subject, and public attention has been forcibly directed to the suitability of this district for settlement. In placing the matter before the ratepayers we hope that only the solid facts will be given, shorn of anything in the shape of coloring. If both sides of the question are honestly and fairly placed before the ratepayers, we may be assured they will be quite copipetent to decide for the best.