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Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 206, 9 October 1888, Page 2

ON SECRET SERVICE. A very important meeting of the Harbor Board will take place to-night, when Mr Bell's opinion on the harbor will be submitted for consideration. The document is to be kept secret until it is laid Wore the Board, though why this should be so is more than we can understand. The ratepayers have to pay ior it and we think they are entitled to the earliest possible information on such important matters, without being compelled to wait the course of ordinary routine—the opinion must be divulged at the meeting, and why should it be allowed to remain tied up for a couple of days just because the Board do not happen to meet before ? If they met a week later would the same principle apply 1 The public interest is of more importance than any delay which may be considered necessary to sustain the pomposity of official dignity. We believe this secrecy is worse than a farce—it is unjust to the ratepayers. The opinion, we have reason to know, will materially alter the phase of the question—the effect, we are assured, will be to declare the poll unnecessary. We again urge upon the Board to act with the greatest caution in whatever they do—they must not lose sight of the fact that if the ratepayers decide for or against that decision may be taken as a distinct committal to whichever course is approved »f.