WHITMORE AND THE GISBORNE HARBOR.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XV, Issue 5225, 18 July 1888, Page 2

WHITMORE AND THE GISBORNE HARBOR.

At the meeting of the Harbor Board yea* terday afternoon some strong remark? were made regarding the mis-stateraenta of Sir George Whitmore in the Legislative Council while moving for a select Committee to enquire iuto the investments of the Board. The " Major General " is tolerably well-known to most of the settlers of this district, and the remarks in reference to him yesterday were founded] on an accurate-knowledge of his character. There was an expression of opinion that coming from any other source, the mis-statements should be contradicted, but seeing that Sir George Whitmore'a opinions could not posaibly cirry weight amorist any intelligent body of men it wrs thought better to treat hia remarks with contempt. The Chairman and Seoretsry of the Harbor Board en now in Wel'ington, and their evidence before the Committee will completely dispose of the allegations, which are either founded in complete ignorance or are the outcome of hostility to payment of rates. Sir George Whitmore said : — He was speaking on beha'f of a diV.nct which considered that it was being very cruelly treated by the abuse of local government at Gisborne. That port has been given a harbor on the distinct understanding that it waß to open roads to the interior for the purpose of bringing down produce, which might have paid for the interest on the money that the harbor was to cost. On this understand* ing the district submittsd to be taxed for tbe harbor, although it had not at the time access to it by land. Since then, not only had the entire country revenue been taken and spent round the to«n, but a large sum of money which had been voted by the Government for the purpose of opening up the district had been allowed to lapse, and had not been spent at all, beyond the expenses of an inspecting engineer. The community was, as a matter of fact, so small and young that itwaj hardly old enough to have local govei ament, c id there was practically but one loc:il body, ai the same men resolved themselves from a County Council to a Municinlity, from a Municipality to a Harbor Bwd, and so on. This local body, at the instigation of certain persons of the place, obtains d from the Government of the day, in some unn manner, permission to erect harbor works, not where the Act provided, but in a totally difierent place. The above is an utter perversion of the facts. The port was not given a harbor on the understanding that the County Council or any other local body was to open up roads to the interior, although, of course, everybody hoped that stops would be taken to render the port, accessible not only to the wh>ie body of tho present Bottlers, .bat to Miduco s^Uement by

rendering the lands fit for occupation. Harbor or no harbor works, that is an undertaking which would be essential to the progreH9 and prosperity of tho place, and is one which has been carried out to tho fullest extent that the means of tho County Council would permit. Since tho initiation of the harbor scheme, the chief local governing body in tho Bay has rigidly adhered to the principle of allocating the expenditure according to the revenue derived from such riding, not one of which has been favored at tho cxpensj of another. The County Council hr<3 conducted its affura exceedingly well, tho expenses of management only absorbing ten per cent, of the income, the remainder being devoted to the construction of roads and bridges. Aa for the assertion that the personnel of the local bodies and tho Harbor Board is identical, that is sheer nonsense. The Chairman of the County Council and the Mayor of Gisborne are ex ojjicio members of the Board. Mr Townley has also a scat in the Borough Council, and Mr Murphy is a County Councillor. Tho laist named gentleman was a few days ago appointed to the Board as a Government uominco. Out of twenty-Beven members of tho three principal bodies in the County only four of them hold a dual position, and but one of them has been elected to the Harbor Board by tho votes of the ratepayers. That ia a state of affairs which is very far removed from cliquiarn. Probably in no other part of New Zealand is there such absence of single individuals occupying seats in the severaljlocal bodies. Sir George Whitmore's remarks inferred that what was done by one body here was certain to bo ondorsod by th« other, for the simple reason that the quoation would be submitted to the same pe"3oriß. We have shown how utterly erroneous 13 that statement. With regard to the allegation that the entire country revenue had been taken and spent round tho town, that is a most unfounded accusation against the County Council, and will certainly be a surprise to that body, which is now going to law against the Borough Corporation for damage to the Ormoad-Waimata road, caused by the cartage of metal for repairing the streets of the town. That clearly shows the very opposite of favoritism, i There is not a member of the Borough Council who has a seat in the County Council. Settlement has not been retarded by any expenditure in the neighborhood of the town of money derived from the country districts, but a serious blow was dealt afc the progress of the place by the legislation of the lake Government, of which Sir George Whitmore was the most unworthy member, and that is saying a good deal. Sir Geo. Whitmore states that " Gisborne is approached by a little ditch of a river, with some four or five feet of water on the bar." The Turanganui is not such a noble stream as the Mersey or the St. Lawrence, but for navigation purposes it is a long way better than most New Zealand rivers. The breakwater at the mouth no doubt will improve it immensely, and even with a good deep water harbor all the coastal trade of the port* would be transacted on the river. The Clyde was a miserable Btream a few generations ago, and although there is no possibility of Gisborne ever rivalling Glasgow, no doubt a few years hence the Tuianganui will be in the front rank of the navigable rivers of tho colony. Sir George Whitmore informed the Council that " it was intended by Sir John Coode to take advantage of a reef of rocks which ran out some little way beyond the river's mouth and enclose a large acreage of water this affording a harbor of refuge for the coast." The idea of Sir John Ooode's scheme affording a harbor of refuge is too absurd for comment. It would only give the same depth of water as the authorized scheme, with no more sea room, and would have cost £60,000 more. Mr Higginson had not a word to say in favor of Sir John Coode's plan, which was based on erroneous information as to thedrifb of sand. However, Sir George Whitmore's remarks on the authorized scheme were only incidental. He is opposed to the construction of a harbor of any kind at Gisborne. . He believes the place was too young to undertake such a work, and to that opinion he is perfectly entitled. He is also fully justified in taking any fair means to prevent what he deems either a wasteful expenditure, or that which will incur a heavy burden on eettlera without compensating advantages. Our opinicnis that it would be opposed to the interests of the district to stop the work at the present stage, an it would involve a dead loss of some £80,000 to the ratepayers. Bug Sir George Whitmore should not have resorted to grcss mis-statements to further his ends. There is no justification for action of that kind. His whole speech is a tissue of errors and false conclusions from beginning to end.

Henry Higgins, settler, of Ormond, has filed his Bhedule. A alarm was rmg oui; by the Upper Gladstone Road firebell shortly after ten this morning, the cause being a chimney on tiro at the residence of Mra Armour. " Much aggrieved Pompcy" writes declaring that the Chinkies had not the best of Hie football match, Niggers v. Chinamen, on Monday night, and that the NiggerB 1 fat man scored a goal for hia side. The Napier footballers have expressed themselves in the Napier papers as greatly pleased with their reception in Gisborne. They complain slightly of the roughness of the football ground. The Chriatchurch City Council are going to erect gas works to produce forty million cubic feet per annum, the cost of which, including reticulating the city, is estimated at £50,0C3. A judgment summons case, John Searle v. Stephen Lyons, claim £8 0s sd,was heard at the R.M. Court yesterday afternoon. The Court being satisfied of defendant's ability to pay ordered h ; m to pay £2 forthwith and £2 a month. At the beginning of May the regular Atlantic steamers were carrying grain from New York to Liverpool and London for one fartlrng per bushel. This compares with 9d to 10 d per bushel from Melbourne to the Channel. Tho charge of forcible entry preferred against Messrs Dufaur, Craill, and Hull by John Mclntosh, which was partly heard at the R.M, Court yesterday and adjourned to the Hospital, was further remanded till this day week after the taking of Const. McGill'a evidence. At the R.M, Court this morning % speedy summons case, Henry Curry v. George Bell, claim £2 5s for rent, was called on. On the defendant swearing he had no intention of leaving the district the case was adjourned till to morrow week. Messrs Bennett and Brown, who were on the Bench, remarked that there waa too great a frequency amongst creditors to rush for a speedy summons on the slightest rumor, The following from an Auckland paper refers to the Roman Catholic clergyman who takes the place in Gisborne in a few days of tho present priest, Father Murphy : — The Rev. Father Kehoe is about to leave this district. He has made a name for liim.tlf during his residence on the Wairo.l North. He will be missed, probably, from Kopuru more than any other settlement, as this was hia head quarter-. MuMcal talent auch as his is hard to m.lace. The monster t^a in connccMon with the opening of the Salvation Army Btrracks was held last pv*»nint», and was largely attended. Thf t.ibles were tastefully laid, and the good thngs were abundantly provided by the members of the Army and frienda. After te-i 'he >•<< 'Hers issembled for a march, and then a.'j.-.vt <ned to the Barracks. Address*^ wpiv <1< -livred by Major Lovelock, Rev. Mr Wallace, Captain Wright and others. A the close of the meeting a subscription raised by Major Love'ock for the purpose of defraying the ■ xpenses on the now building, was liberally responded to.

F. Newton arrived by the Omapere t.j day and he will box R. Matthews on Saturday next in the Theatre Royal. The tender of Mr Thomas Scaly ut £136 for a cottage on Kaiti has been accepted. A juvenile football match takes place at the Columbian Rink this evening. An interesting return relative to the. ilval ocean mail services has been laid on the table of the House. It places tho adilition.il coat to the colony of despatching via 'Frisco all the mail matter now sent by the direct route at £1232, viz, the cost of ealarie3 and railway expenses of mail agents. The net monetary result of adopting such a course is given as a profit of £liji}i, the eatimated receipts beiug £46,451, and the payments £31,6!)6. On the other hand, if all mail matter now sent via San Francisco were sent by the direct route, on present terms, it is estimated that the net profit to the colony would be only £2,585, the payments being set down at £43,382, and tho receipts at £45,968. Oamaru has been doing a largo trade with Australia of late and has experienced come difficulty in getting freight from the Union Company. The North Otago Times has tho following :— The Union Co. have succeeded in chartering a large Home going cargo boat to make a trip to Lyttelton for cargo for Australian ports. This will relieve the pressure in the direction of allowing the Hauroto to make a special trip to this port after her next trip to Sydney. The Waihora's space will be almost wholly given to Oamaru shippers on her next trip, and it is expected that this steamer, with the H»uroto, will considerably lessen the quantity of produce lying here awaiting shipment to Australian markets.