HARBOUR BOARD LOAN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13846, 4 September 1908, Page 6

HARBOUR BOARD LOAN.

BILL BEFORE THE HOUSE. DISCUSSION IN COMMITTEE. tBY MLEGBAPH.-SPECIAL CORESPONDENT, Wellington, Thursday. The Auckland Harbour Board M and Empowering Bill passed its second reading without debate this afternoon. Mr. Kidd was in charge of the measure. The BUI passed through the committee stage this evening, after a short discusion raised by Mr. Massey in regard to the powers conferred by the Bill upon the Harbour Board, in respect to the procedure to be adopted for the purchase of lands in order to secure the extinguishment of riparian rights, as required for the purpose of the Bill. Mr Massey said he desired to call attention to the drastic nature of these provisions. , Clause 12, he pointed out, provided that as soon as a notice was served a lease might be cancelled, and the property became vested in the Board, ■ and the .riparian rights extinguished. Then again it was proposed by clause 14' that it an owner failed to make c. claim tor compensation in one year his property would go. He also called attention to clause 17, which provided the method of serving the notice. It was provided that tire notice might be served if the person is not known, or cannot, after due inquiry, be found by advertising the same in any newspaper in Auckland. There was no stipulation even that the notice should be inserted in a daily paper. This was unfair to owners who might be out of the Dominion. The Minister for Marine (the Hon. J. A. Millar) said that it was absolutely necessary that the proposed power should be given to the Board. The lands would be taken and compensation paid in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Act, Every owner of riparian rights was known by the Board. The trouble was that former boards had granted leases with riparian rights for years' and years, and the result was that the present Board found itself blocked in carrying out works by the excessive price of extinguishment asked by the owners of these rights. Mr. Baume said that it did not, seem likely than any injustice would arise. It would be an extraordinary thing, if an ! owner left the Dominion, and did not leave an attorney or agent to attend to his interests. Mr. Massey moved: "That 'one year' be altered to ' two years' in clause 14," and this was agreed to. Mr. Kidd moved to alter the form of ' advertisement by providing that it be inserted not less than three times in a daily newspaper. This was also agreed to. Mr. Budcfo called attention to the fact ' that clause IS gave the Board-power to sell the lands required at such prices and . on such . terms and conditions as it saw fit. < The Hon. J. A. Millar said it was quite ■ true that the clause was an unusual one, 1 but it was necessary to give the Board power to dispose of the lands that it acquired only for the purpose of extinguish - ■ ing riparian rights: : Mr. Kidd stated that as the money for the purchase of the lands Was to come out of ordinary revenue, it was necessary , that the Board should have power to dis- . pose of the lands. The Bill passed through committee with-. i out further amendment, A PROTEST RAISED. | MR. LAURENSON IN OPPOSITION, [BY TELEGRAPH,—-I'KESS ASSOCIATION.]': ; Wellington, Thursday. When the motion, for passing the Auck- > land Harbour- Board Loan Bill came before the House to-niglit Mr. Laurenson protested i against indiscriminate borrowing all over | the country. Hero was a Bill, proposing to v borrow £1,000,000, he said, and not one voice in protest was■-raised.' Every kind of corporate body was borrowing money. J What had bion done this session? Au- : thority bad been granted to the Opunake Harbour Board to borrow £30,000; New - Plymouth Harbour Board, £300,000; Hoki--3 tika Harbour Board, , £25,000; Auckland I Harbour Board, £1,000,000; Tauranga Har- > hour Board, £20,000; Oamaxu Harboui " Board, £50,000; Westport Harbour Board, £20,000. Wellington Harbour Board was seeking £1,000,000. He was sick of this - borrowing, and desired to protest against it. 3 The Prime Minister ought to have warned i the public ■ bodies, . and Mr. Massey; plight - to have raised his voice; but everybody was J silent and allowed this tiling to go on. > The Prime Minister said that a wrong > impression had got abroad. He could guesa Mr. La.urens-on's motive. (Mr. Lauren--6 son) wished to warn the. House against 1 granting Canterbury the right to raiae ' £2,000,000 for a. canal, which might be 1 wasted expenditure unless it could be shown • that- great reductions in rates would ensue. . Mr. Laurenson had not said that, but he > (Sir Joseph Ward) could guess it was his. " thought. Continuing, Sir. Joseph asked, ! What was the position?. Our harbours were ! not under the direct control of the Govern--1 merit, but the Boards managed' their own 1 affairs, merely- seeking authority, under pro- ' per safeguard, to borrow loans. They pro- ' vided security independent from the coun- ( try, and provided adequate sinking funds '' for repayment of the loans. The financial ' positions of all the Boards was good. He had • made it his business to investigate their pbsis tion, and all had more than sufficient funds l and . resources to provide sinking funds. The present conditions of life must be taken into account, and harbour extension and development were urgently required. Mr. Massey said Mr. Laurenson was most inconsistent. He protested against this borrowing, but what about his new ( capital Utopia? He (Mr. Massey) thought } we were far too dependent on borrowed money, but he objected rather to the.Go-' ' vemment's heavy expenditure than to borrowing by local bodies for valuable local , works. Mr. Poole said he regretted this attitude of the chairman of, the Lyttelton Harbour " Board towards the Auckland Harbour Beard. , i JV • Mr. Kidd pointed out the growing character of the- harbours, and the necessity i for Equipped ports in these days. Not body knew better' than Mr. Laurenson the » value of such work, and such expenditure. 5 Mr. Laurenson said he had no intention - of reflecting upon the Auckland Harbour, J which was a splendid harbour, .or upon the ' Auckland Harbour Board, whose adminisi tration was excellent He only used the ', occasion of the passage of the Bill to prol test against the policy of borrowing on the - part of nearly every "harbour board in the . Dominion.