The Star. SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 1908. OPUNAKE HARBOR.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LIII, 11 April 1908, Page 4

The Star.

SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 1908. OPUNAKE HARBOR.

Delivered every evening by 8 o’olock la Hawer Uanaia, Normsnby, Outlaws, Eltbam, Manga cki Kaponga,. Awatuna,; Oponake, Olakebo kkUitkiii, Alton, Hnrleyville, Fatea, and Wav oilev.

We ar© in full sympathy with, the efforts of the Opunakei people, to get improved liaii’ca* accommodation. They ha.vo been battling heroically witli the problem for very many years, but unfortunately they , do not stem to get much more forward with it. It is unjust that they should bo legally liable to pay a into for a harbor which is of littlei, if any, use to them, while -on the other hand they con get no help for the improvement of a harbor which a. moderate expenditure would make much more serviceable than it now is ,Wei cannot/ however,,?go the length of. agreeing tliat there is any prospect of success for a proposal to create such a district as was spoken of at Wednesday’s meeting. We take it tliat to, get a district represented'by a valuation of £2.000,000 it would be necessary >10 include the whole of Egniont the whole of Waimate riding of ijawera' County, and the whole pf penga,ridinguf ' That to even the original . -liar bility under the New Plymouth such .an .es tensive district would be willing to subject, itself to a farthing rate fm' a harbor at Opuhake we cannot believe. Still lees likely is it that it \s||ld do- so to escape the liabflity, the ap-

parently nominal liability, presided for under the Bill now being prom cited by the New Plymouth Board. Opunake can be made at. much improved ports and would bo veiry useful for rm-ny purposes, but it i& wise* to realise that it-has its limitations, and not frighten off friends by talk of borrowing £50,000. Tlie Bill of last session sbculd bo promoted in Parliament- at the oarlie.s.t date possible, and Parliament should bo asked to consider the position and possibilities of Opunake-. ' When the matter of legislation, was originally discussed at the New Plymouth Board there was a proposal submitted that a sum should be allocated for harbor :m----piovcmtnt at Opunake, and though that suggestion received vcjy short shrift w© are not at all sure that it was not worth mar© serious considerar tion. Criticism took the form of implying that th© proposal was intended as a sc-p, 1-ut it is capable of a more generous construct ion than that. A moderate expenditure would so improve Opunake harbor that it would be of considerable service to an important part of the New Plymouth harbor district, and the little extra. lia r bility necessary to permit of improveluent being made could be defended much more easily than the rating of country around. Opunake for Neiw Plymouth harbor expenditure We belic-vu many ratepayers even in «he north world accept this view, and as it is a matter of business, not of sentiment, wo can scarcely doubt that pcoplf in the Opunake district .would rather so© improvement take place, under the auspices of the New Ply uiouth legislation than not at all.