The Hastings Standard. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 3, 1909 MR MILLAR'S CHINESE PUZZLE.

Hastings Standard, Volume XIII, Issue 4302, 3 November 1909, Page 4

The Hastings Standard. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 3, 1909 MR MILLAR'S CHINESE PUZZLE.

The proposed new Harbour Bill is apparently a source of worry to the Hon J. A. Millar. A deputation from the Wellington Chamber of Commerce waited on him on Monday urging that provision should be made in it for the representation of Chambers of Commerce. The chief spokesman, Mr Duthie, urged that commercial interests required representation, and that would not be sufficiently provided for by the mere fact of the boards being elected by the ratepayers. Another speaker, Mr G. Shirtcliffe, pleaded that the conduct of affairs of the various harbours should not be taken en-j tirely out of the hands of the commercial people, who, he said, had to pay the cost of upkeep and administration. Mr Shirtcliffe als>o contended that as all the harbours were very heavily indebted to the bondholders at Home, who had lent their money knowing that the harbour boards were elected (?) on a certain basis, it might be considered in the nature of a breach of faith if the constitution of the boards was now altered without consulting the people who had lent their money for the building up of harbour works. It is hard to reconcile the statements of these gentlemen with the true facts of the position. Their claim, | to be brief, is that it is the traders and not the consumers who have to pay harbour charges. It would be very refreshing to the consumers if this were so, and we do not think that they would bother themselves one little bit about the constitution of harbour boards if things were as Mr Shirtcliffe states. Unfortunately it is otherwise, for the suffering con- j sumer has not only to pay all charges j tu: also interest on the monty ad-! vanced by the middleman in taking delivery of goods. Commercial men would be other than human if they did not fix their profits to cover all these charges, and as a matter of

fact they are very human. Hence it is that commercial interests have no justification for their appeal for special representation. The Minister would find his difficulties dwindle away if he would only close his ears to the sedulous seducements of those who seek to secure seats on harbour boards by other means than by the voice of the people. Let him ask himself who are the opponents of direct representation on harbour boards? He will find that they are the men who have been nominated to hold office, and whose places would know them no more if the the reform which is now being urged were to be made. Truly it is no wonder that the Hon. J. A. Millar is confronted with a Chinese puzzle when he seeks to do the riffht thing by the people and at the same time please his deputations. He should by now have learnt the evil results that may follow the work of boards consisting of members other than representatives of the people. The people of Hawke's Bay at any rate have not to travel a very great distance to discover how the wishes of the people can be outraged by boards so constituted. " Trust the people " is an anxiom worthy of adoption by the Minister. Given an elective board the people will see that business men are chosen as representatives, for there is nothing that is able to discriminate better than the ballot box-