ME McGUIRE AND THE NEW PLYMOUTH HARBOUR RATE.

Patea Mail, Volume XII, Issue 14, 19 May 1886, Page 2

ME McGUIRE AND THE NEW PLYMOUTH HARBOUR RATE.

TO THE EDITOR.

? The best' proof that the cqqrae adopted by raewithreapectto the Harbour rate ia not an electioneering cry got up for the occasion is that ten years ago, when I was a member of; the Provincial Council, I opposed the Harbour Bill imposing the existing rate, on the same grounds, viz., that The; harbour work Was properly a colonial 1 undertaking, and ‘ should not, therefore, be :undertaken by a {province. Instead of ray being an ■ enemy of Patea apd Bawera, I may say that on the contrary .ft is, owing to my acting.in concert with Messrs Peacock and Sherwood in the.Provincial Council that Patea and Hawera districts are not how subject to the one shilling rate. I may also say that ! am satisfied that Major Atkinson, wh® was at that time a taemb.er of ; the ; Provincial Council (as well as the member for this electorate, in the House of Representatives), although one of those who endeavoured to fasten, the rate on the Patea and Hawera Districts* Would bo Che of the first to ’ corroborate my statements ohHhib subject. ' j The peculiar reasoning ’>* and * peculiar doctrine given (expression. to ; in your leader i upon the subject';of ,my second letter surprised and amused me. Before replying to your leader I should like to remind your waders that the fetter you reviewed Wab thA second of a series. In my first letter I had shown the advantage that would accrue to- the Provincial District if the New Plymouth Harbour was taken over and {completed ? by the Govern ment, and the existing loan was made a icbarge.upon th,e Colony instead of upon a handful of people. In inv second letter ! treated tH6 question from a Colonial point •‘of view. "T notice you’sayj “The Harbor Board having released the Hawera and “ Waimate ratepayers from the liability to “ taxation, it is an evident fact, that transferring the liability' from the presents “proposed local shoulders, to the general “ taxpayer of the‘Colony, Will’ be the one, ‘ and : the mnly ,■ tnearis : to again render “ liable the ratepayers the district jusjt “ released, and thus render nugatory Jthe, “ to them, o Satisfactory -result of the late “ agitation anent the question. Now thb New Plymouth i Harbor Board has not released the ratepayers in question from .the“ liability to taxation.” The Waimate Plains settlers are at, the present moment liable, to a shilling . rate for the New Plymouth, Harbour,, and - have only been released from the threat, of an additional rate of sixpence.- Now qy proposal is to abolish the.one shilling raje, as well,as the sixpenny threatened and . to bays the existing loan taken over and the work completed by the This . would not agaihi render “ liable, the,ratepayers of “of the district just released, and thus “ render nugatory the, (o them, satisfactory “ result of the late agitation.” The change would,make them liable to pay farthings, where the existing shilling rate would make them liable to pay pounds sterling out of their incomes. Nature having supplied the settlers with the intelligence necessary to. recognise the enormous improvements this .would make in .their position, they will, I am afraid, hardly agree with your arguments, ..any, more than With; the extraordinary,statement you made a little further bn,.to the -effect fbat “ Aq additional,, rate will be accurately : described as ntf”, Yon theq .proceed; to aSk me a question. You say : “Surely i<‘Mr McGuire doqp not .wish the ‘Mwfi

n“ Coast settler ’ to think that he will get /“ hia tobacco or his spirits duty free if he “ will only smoke or drink them on the Cant; “terbury Plains instead of thejWfcimate “Plains, or that his clothing ‘will be nntaxed if he wears them in the Seventy “Mile Bush instead of the Hawera'Bush.’’ I must frankly confess that I do not wish, anyone to think anything so silly. ‘I do wish everyone to believe, and what I *said was that the swallowing up of the small holdings by the large owners is the result of pur. having |no ready access to markets, ; of the idohsequent difficulty the small farmers find in making both n endß«inaet* < As a result-of the present tendency I said the farming population will decrease, and in consequence of their departure the towns will suffer - Is it not wel I knownrthat many'/Shrill; tfeittigfs halve" gqnp tb|e PrpVihcial District daring the-last’thiee years'for Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales/ ahdlthe Argentine Republic. I do admit , that in a)I probability wherever the settler goes he will be taxed, that,is one ,of [ the ills the'' flesh is heir t0.,,,.'8tit I entirely deny that your statement'™ correct,when' you say that the “ colony will get : the sarnfe' “ benefit ; wherever the' ■ ‘ West ■ Coast “Settlor ’i; chooses:: to locate himself. ’’ •Neither: can I agree with you that “ the “irameniab result, of, such ~ltakipg their departure ’ means the ‘ enlargment and enrichnyenfc of the larger and more prosp’erdds towns.” How could the inimediate depopulation of the rural districts enrich the' towns ?: You have/ however, - like a good, stage manager,' kept your most ,charming., piece,,£9r' the- eixd -o£ , your leader, in the shape of the following pro* position—* 1 Wp think that .cdlpnists, as a “ whole, hav¥ ah" qtfdoubted right to object “to being! saddled’ With an additional ’tax, ' “ no blatter how small it may be, simply to “ secure the prosperity of a single:district.” What breadth of mind I Surely the jsiim -of . the prosperity ; of the parts of \ the colony, is what constitutes the prosperity of the whole. To say then that the prosperity of one part; is nothing to the rest of the colony 15 to say tHat alii the principles of co-operatidri' upon which* our system of Government is founded should be abandoned/ ; TanPafraid, sir, it is this harrow iapirit ; that' has' hitherto cramped every movement for the improvement of the district. It is to the • propagation Of such principles that is due the local jealousy which hitherto prevented any ,co-operation .between the various parts of

this province; said : What is the prosperity of theothor to ns, we will have none of it ? Is it surprising that neglect has bred neglect, that this most; fertile province is cursed, by a> withering; blight'of discord. It is fortunate, sir',' that a more generous spirit is breathed in other parts, or the colony would indeed present a v hopeless and contemptible, spectacle^,, I believe, and hope, sir, .that anew spiri t’is abroad amongst us, that the 4®y. when the. prosperity of our neighbour; : creates feeling’'bf bitterness' in puthearts , is. going by *, that the* birth of a broader and more generous feeling is at hand, until that day has come doctrines 1 such as you haye preached will still bo .listened, to; —3£purs^cjvsoi- . ir . F. McGuire.,