THE HARBOUR BOARD ENDOWMENTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13693, 8 September 1906, Page 6

THE HARBOUR BOARD ENDOWMENTS.

THE STATE 01' CAMPAIGN'. THE DEPUTATION .Tl) )VKtf.IKGTOX. A mooting of the Vigilance Committee of tjlp Harbour Hoard appointed to supervise ami direct measures taken .to make good the board'.* claiin |ii connection with it» alienated ciidownifiil.-. was lipid yesterday morning; present—Messrs H. !'• Hntliio (in the ehair), Ross, and H. tipurlcv.

i Copies of outward letters to prominent citizens, chairmon of Coupty Councils, and mayors of boroughs were approved. The Chairman saiil that it. had »not yet been decided when the deputation should go 10 Wellington; but, seeing that the financial debate was now practically ended, ho did pot think Mio|il<l lose llUtt'li time. The deputation should go north pest iveck if possible. The Secretary said that the City Council wits prepared to agree with any decision tome to, and Iho matter was now. therefore, virtually iu the of tlie board.

The..Chairman: At the samo time, we must aljo.\y .file cottucil to .appoint some delegates, ; . ' ' ' The Sdcrotary t «aid that the Mayor had not yet Yclij'rnetl trqm WeKington. Mr Ross said that the deputation ought to'leavp.not later, thai)' Monday week. The Chairman said lie should f like t 0 liavo' ap: expression of "the committee's a-, to how msLtiy (lie doinitntiou should consist qf,'aii<| who should 'ho represented. That \ju.h an important matter to he settled, oven though' the deputation did not leave for eijjiit or 10 days. 1 Mr. Gqtjrley: I shoultj not think' it would J» nqcossaj.v to' sepd ybry many. The Sporetary said, that I|e had hot) 601115 conversation qp tjie'"matter wijh the' Mayor, who'thought that the rpprcsonlafion of "the coiiutry should he left to the t vurio\i9 County potincijs; ai|(( I Lot c«.'iLuln'gt>()i]c--111011 ho iip]>qint<|(T*|jy jli<_< fJity Coup.

ci! to- act with' the Harbour lioa'rtl—npt necessarily _ (.•ouucil|qrs,'> hut . gentlemen representative of' thp community aiitl its permanent f Tho Chairpian;' Suppcso (hat. citcli of the eiglij, Ppunfy Councils nominated 0110 representative? ■jjr- Boss: The pior.o thp merrier. Tho Ctpvflrnrpent wou|<l see that there lpuit |io spipe real solid grievance' in Otagq when' so manv. mni| go up op such a dcpi|iatiqii. The. Chairman said they might hole) dyer the. question of pumhe'r, (ill nest ipfctinp. If tl|c JofK on Monday week' it won|d some' of the couptry .roprespntativoa coming into town op Saturday, Tie .[lionet, i|, would ]>oHer (of tl'io lo leave on Tuesday, the lSfli. Mr Boss said ho'did not think tin) niatter shi>jj|d l?c leff. any later;, thin')' that. ' It was agreed that the (leputatiop leave by the f»r#| pxprcss on the 18th' inst.. and that the matter, pC npniher he lofr- over in the nieantipiq. , ' Correspondence (already, published ip Iho Otago Daily Titties) was if ported apd receivefl, passed hy suburbun potoi). ■ The Secretary said' tliew was to be. a inpotipg .of the; Port. Chalmers Council that ditv, ami lie helioycd-(he iptontjon was to put on a.canvasspi'. 'liyrcjicc was the first, country Jildci; to return a poijtiqn, fpljy s 'B.iiQ ( !i' canvassei| jit the expense of the tojvn.—("llejir,. hear/') _• 'A letter'.was road 'from the clerk of Bruce County' Council, acknowledging receipt of the letter of tlio board': ' In reply; I Ipjvo to inforpi yon. that your letter was placed before the council-at its niceliiio jield op .Tuesday,'.and a resolution war passed that the lot-tor-he received."! The ''Chairman ..'said ' jhat that- was', such a letter as ||e -Ijd .not qjjpqct to repeive. It practically meant', that the letter w«s sllplvfld,. so .far (is. Bi'iico was concerned. J hey naturally oxpected the co-operatiqp and assistance-of tho whole of tlie counties 111 connection with' this niatter, arid ho thought it was to bo rogrettcd that any county, council. e|ioi|l(t fa lie; so narrow a View.-Cllesr, hear."),.The, .Sp'drptiiry said tl|at flip ,C|qt|ia County Council hat) practically talfqn the samo course .as Bfucei '" . ~ Mr 11,. Goui'K'y: ()||t> of Ijio speakers said that -they simply wpuld not take r|ny actiop, because they ipiglit projudfee ijort Molviieux. .

■ Mr. Itoss: I I bought' the hopes of Port Mplynctuv '\ypru 1 c|4trojed ,by nature at' least,a quarter.of a.ppnt.ury agp.l The Secretary:' Thpy .hold that if.any assistancq is given to.Otago Harboiir.it wjll prevpnt theip'getting assistance for Pprt Molynoux. The Chairnian; I don't, thiplc it is.ncccssary for us to. pass any' resolution in tho matter. I have on|y tq,express niy regret that, counties such as thp Bruce and t||e Clutha. .should"fnltc such'. i\ narrow' yjew of the vnry. important inatter wo liavo in hand.- So far'•••if Br|icp is pqncovriQft, I shall take the ppportunity of communicating with several of the pipmbors of 'tips cpunty—men. \vhoip .1' kpow,—and I sl|a|l ta|tc flip adynutago pf ovory occasion pri-, vjtoly, as.it' pep'urs to mp. '. i .Mr Uas3:■ I ca'pnot uijdorstand t)ie .position tbpy i(dopf.' 0f course, this matter alTeels pvpry.' sptt|oi\throughput the wholo lof .tho provjppc. .' ''1 " .' . V.. The Chairman said that, while the com*tnittop naturally pxpcctcfj that all the counties wifliin tho proyincp of Otago would assist the board in t)io object 'it had in view,. jjj'd.; whilo," naturally,' thp co'uhty couqoils must first iio apprpaobed, the'cpnimilteb had dppided thpf, sppapvto aptibn must-bo tajipp to gflt, flip, petition signed by comn)unioating directly with prominent resident!?. - A number of letters had beeif sent, out accordingly. The Secretary reported that tho ' canvassers wero making fairly satisfactory progress, though 1 , not sunh rapid progress .as the committee might liavo ;.wishp'd, About 40 papers fully signed, had so far'como in,' aud so far only the fringe of tho work had been touched:_ Tho canvass at the Fountain had been vory successful. Canvassers were just getting, into .trim, lind wero getting tho ladies'- signatures at their homes. Petitions wern.being sent to thp various factories' afld offices. . , Thp Chairman said that, 40, papers, each carrying 112 signatures, was a good start. So far as Dunedin and the suburbs wero concerned, thoro would bo no difficulty in getting signatures. The Secretary said* the canvassers, bad only met with fouv refusals. Thcso wore based 011 purely personal the idea being- that the intention'was to attack some particular member of the Government—an idea, on the face of it, utterly orroneous.