THE GISBORNE STANDARD AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Tuesday, November 13, 1888. THE HARBOR POLL.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 221, 13 November 1888, Page 2

THE GISBORNE STANDARD AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning.

Tuesday, November 13, 1888. THE HARBOR POLL.

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

To-morrow the ratepayers of this district will have a very important duty to perform. They will be asked to give their decision on perhaps the most important question that has ever affected the district. Sadly neglected as Poverty Bay has been in the past, the only attention that has since been paid us has been to hamper us with the most outrageous restrictions for which we are now suffering penance. But there is little to be gained by sitting still and bemoaning our fate—lamentations will not retrieve much for us, whilst united and determined action must be of some avail. It has been definitely decided to take a poll as to whether we shall make the best of small mercies, and that poll takes place to-morrow. We have no hesitation, in face of the evidence before us, in saying that we consider that there is only one rational course, and that is to vote in favor of the X’40,000 beifig retained. There is not the slightest doubt that this would be the voice of an overwhelming majority but for the heavy handicap that is enforced owing to absentees being counted as voting in the negative ; but with all these drawbacks there is every prospect that the proposal will be carried by a fair majority. The only danger is in the supporters making too sure of the result and neglecting, when the time arrives, to take that active interest in the matter that should be wanting by none. So much has already been said on either side that it would only be tiresome to add further to the controversy, and we may well conclude with a since're hope that no ratepayer in the County will neglect his duty and that he will consider it his duty to vote in support of a continuation of the works. They have now reached such a stage that it seems madness to abandon them until they have been made to some extent reproductive. Though we have previously had our own misgivings and have freely given expression to them, we now, in the circumstances, strongly advise the ratepayers to record their votes in favor of the proposal.