The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Saturday, October 20, 1888. HARBOR TROUBLE.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 211, 20 October 1888, Page 2

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

Saturday, October 20, 1888. HARBOR TROUBLE.

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

Several times lately we have had to use strong terms in reference to certain actions of the Harbor Board, but we must heartily commend the course which is now being adopted by individual members of the Board, in seeking direct counsel with the ratepayers. So far two meetings have been held, one at Matawhero and one in Gisborne, and the result has been eminently satisfactory, there being every opportunity offered for either side to give expression to its views. We have previously stated that when all the circumstances have been impartially considered we are firmly of opinion that the work should be proceeded with until it has had that test which the expenditure of a small further sum would undoubtedly give it, but if this is to be done there is no other option than to vote for the £40,000. Before any great proportion of this sum can be expended the ratepayers will have an opportunity of pledging to any particular course the new members who will be elected in February next —in fact much sooner, for the points at issue will assuredly have considerable bearing on the Mayoral electron next month.

With regard to the meetings themselves, they have been very successful, except in one respect; that is, that those who are opposed to the harbor have not made out as good a case as they might have done. Mr Bright, at Matawhero, . was indeed the facts that jyouleMWryWeight, and he did so, he said, simply as an observer, and because no one else had troubled to do so. That gentleman pointed out what to our mind is the most serious aspect of the question, the commercial point of view, and his few figures would do more to influence men’s minds against the work than a fortnight of such speechifying as was heard at the City Hall. The strongest supporter of the work should feel thankful to Mr Bright for coming forward in this way: what the ratepayers want are the facts, and nothing in the shape of colored statements. It is then possible for counteracting arguments to be urged and the ratepayers may be safely allowed to judge for themselves. At Wednesday evening’s meeting Mr Dickson warmly advocated a harbor for the district, but the only argument he used against the present work was that in his opinion and in the opinion of al/ seafaring men a harbor constructed on the present site would be useless. His first argument we do not agree with ; we believe the harbor is before its time, but the work having proceeded so far we look at it in a business light and say make the best of a bad job. We never could believe the present site to be the most satisfactory, but engineering testimony must be allowed to have some weight and in any case one does not need to be very far-seeing to be convinced that there is now no option. Beyond what Mr Dickson said there was really nothing urged on the opposition side, Mr Joyce combatted some of the points made in the statement presented to the ratepayers, and at any rate showed the folly of publishing such a statement, but on the main issue at this critical moment it was hard to tell what was Mr Joyce’s opinion, except as recorded by his vote, and he appeared to base that on minor points. It was astonishing 'to us to hear a man of Major Porter’s experience and intelligence talk as he did —he had the courage to advocate all sides and [he misfortune to advocate none. Public men, when addressing meetings of a business nature, should confine themselves to the practical, and the ratepayers may rely on it that nothing is to be gained by bombast. The experience of other districts should be a warning to us in that respect, and had the meeting carried the resolution proposed by Mr Sandlant it would have been guilty of the most ridiculous folly. Ab Mr DeLautour said in effect the question is too serious to allow the decision to be influenced in any way by party attachments, It simply amounts to this now, if we stop we Jfigj everything—there is no alternative;— so we say make the best of the circumstances. The question Will it pay ? is the one which gives us the deepest concern. But when everything has been carefully considered, we have come to the conclusion that, as work has been allowed to proceed so far, it will be wise to expend at least a portion of the £40,000 to make it qi some service. We h,earjily agree with Major Porter that opr want of .unity has been one of the district’s greatest drawbacks, and until there can be some unanimity brought to bear on the harbor question we can never expect the district to advance.