The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Thursday, October 11, 1888. "MORE HASTE, LESS SPEED.”

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 207, 11 October 1888, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning.

Thursday, October 11, 1888. "MORE HASTE, LESS SPEED.”

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

To some it may appear that our Harbor Board is a truly astonishing body• the inconsistency of their actions would cause a feeling of extreme wonderment in the mind of one little versed in local government matters. But they have one good point—they have the courage to renounce when the error of their ways is indisputably proved to them. We warned the Board of the ludicrous position into which they were drifting, by asking for legal advice and then rushing the thing upon the ratepayers without knowing what the result of that advice would be ; but the murky veil of bewilderment seemed to have enshrouded the minds of the Board, and the lamentable result is—well, the ratepayers will have a high sum to pay for the satisfaction of confusing themselves and everybody else. It is a case of bungle, bungle, bungle, and unless the most extreme caution is taken even now it will be a case of “ bung." We need not refer further to that point just now, for the rude awakening which has been experienced by the members of the Board, and the sharp shock which has been given to the ratepayers, will work out thair own effect in a more or less happy way, There are some, we know, who would try and hound the Board on, pell mell, like a rough, inexperienced stockman trying to drive a pack of sheep over a rugged countrytogdesiredgoal. In their warm desire for a certain course these people arc not open to the reasoning that would influence a cautious mind—they consider not that misplaced energy may clog the wheels of progress In listening to the voice of a certain journalistic prompter they neglect to reflect as to ifs antecedents—to bear in mind tljat it has always kept the one object in view', of rushing blindly on and taking no heed of probable consequences. We

have vigorously protested against this madness, as the following extracts from some of our articles will show :—

Saturday, September 22 :—We do not think the Board have acted unwisely in proceeding with the most extreme caution just at the present moment. Though we have an inherent objection to resorting to law in any way we must not blind ourselves to the fact that there are times when the present expense of a few pounds may save hundreds in the future. Saturday, September 29 :—We think the Board have acted wisely in delaying, even for a very short period, the proposal that the poll should have been 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 the different points the cool consideration to which they were entitled. At the very outset tnis blunder seemed the evil genius of the whole scheme, and it has dogged it over since. Thursday, October 4:—Still alter all that has been said, we again ask, why are these vigorous steps being taken to have a poll when we do not yet know the effect of Mr Bell’s opinion ? It would be far more sensible for the Board to allow the Act to remain a dead letter for the time being. The anomalous position in which the Board has placed itself, after asking for the opinion and then practically ignoring it, should be evident to a fourth class schoolboy.