A LITTLE CONTRAST.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 10093, 7 September 1895, Page 2

A LITTLE CONTRAST.

The Mayor, with some excusable heat, r-n Thursday evening remarked that not only had Hawke'a Bay received no ssslstanre from the Government towards the breakwater harbor, bnt that it was being robbed through the Custom-house to the extent of 2a on every cask of cement used. Before the breakwater la fioUhnd the Harbor Board will have paid some £20,000 in duty on catnent, and the ratepayers will have to pay interest on that Bum at the rate of 8 per cent) pet annum, When the work was commenced there was no duty on cementj and it is simply ialquitoas that to bolster np a small local indnßtry a portion of the community undertaking a work of colonial importance should be so robbed — for we adopt the Mayor's term an appropriate. No other district in the co' i y except Poverty Bay has been bo badly used. The Government has undertaken the entire responsibility of the expensive harbors at Greymonth and Westport. It> pays all expenses and maintains wharves at Nelson and Plcton. It gave enormous landed endowments to New Plymouth, when the harbor silted up it spent £4000 in dredging, and when tho breakwater was damaged it repaired it at the public expense— of coarse paving no duty on the cement used. The latest instance la even mare fhgraot. Major Harris, the senior Government Whip, represents Franklin, in which electorate is situated a village called Howick, which aspires to be a port. After about 20 years' lobbying, laab session a vote was passed towards the erection of a wharf. The other day Mr Mitchelson suggested that it would be more In the interests of the district if the money were devoted to repairing the Paamnre bridge Mr Seddon replied, " There was an appropriation for the work on the pound farponnd subsidy principle. The Government had got plans and specifications, and bad decided to call for tenders for doing what they considered their share of the work " JasS so. Parliament voted halt the funds for a wharf on condition that the other half was raised locally. But the Government!, without waiting for the other half, or even getting a guarantee for it, proceeded to call tor tenders for " what they considered their fair share of the work." A hnmoroua writer, "Nemo," in the Dunedin Star, thus hits off the position : — " A story 1 have read has a certain application. A Yankee debt collector was preparing to 'go ont West,' and called on a large New York firm to know if they bud any debts to collect in the !and of the howle knife and the revolver, They had one. It was a big thine;, however, and the firm was afraid id was little use tackling it. Ultimately it was agreed the man was to have half the debt if he could collect it. He was away a long time, bat at length the firm received a telegram as follows :— ' I have got my half. I fear yonrs is hopeless.' I can't help seeing a certain parallel in the positions of the New Zealand Government and that New York firm. Only the position will be reversed. The Government will get a message to say 'W e have got your half. Ours, I fear, Is hopeless.' " And Napier goes on paying duty on cement, though it was a special recommendation of the Tariff Commission that cement imported for public works such as the breakwater should be admitted free.