GISBORNE HARBOR AND HARBOR BOARD ELECTION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 9099, 18 March 1901, Page 4

GISBORNE HARBOR AND HARBOR BOARD ELECTION.

(To the Editor of the Herald.) Sir,— l have catefully read with interest Mr W. L. Bees's remarks and facts regarding the past and future prospects of the Gisborne Harbor, aud m reading them they certainly seem to commend themselves, and are worthy of the very best consideration by those . who are desirous of our district being provided with proper harbor accommodation m proportion- to the district's internal'progress. Now, Sir, at this. juncture two important phases of this matter appeal to me : First, would the £175,000 .which Mr Bees refers to be sufficient to fully complete a harbor of refuge at Stoney l*oint, as indicated by Mr'lVees? Can, Mr Rees say if there has -been any expert opinion token upon this goint, and, if so, what is the dpinion regarding depth of water and total- cost? In any fresh movement of this nature the ratepayers should have the very best information as to the total cost of aiiy new, work, so that our district will not; be landed m the mess that the Napier people are with their breakwater, having borrowed something like; '£500,000, which I understand is considerably m excess of what the work was supposed to cost when started, and yet where, with this large expenditure, they only possess a very inadequate and fine- weather harbor. The second point is one which the town voters of this harbor* district should consider at. this immediate time, and attach more importance to it than the whole of Mr Bees's worthy scheme, that is, to make sure that sound, progressive men ore returned as members of the Harbor Board, so that the Board will have the full confidence of the ratepayers when amy new schemes are being submitted to and considered by them. In, this respect I desire to speak plainly, m view of the election which takes place on the 21st inst. Mr Bees has very strongly and .ably- shown that the blunder of the Gisborne Harbor works being put m their present site lays at the feet of the first" Harbor Board, which was elected m 1884; To' a certain extent 1 would question this, and would rather be inclined to say that the blunder was made by the ratepayers m 188* by returning a weak and incompetent Board. If the ratepayers had m 1884 elected a sound and far-seeing Board, who posisessed a true grip of large financial questions, we would not now be saddled with a liability of £140,000, with such a small result for so large an expenditure, and ! unless the ratepayers wake up to the responsibility which is. cast upon them, and to so exercise their, votes, and see that cool, far-seeing, and prudent men are elected into "our various local bodies, they must be prepared to at all times submit to useless taxation with a' good grace, and so pay for the follies of our various local bodies. It must be admitted that tie original blunder regarding our harbor works has thrown this district* back quite seven or eight years, and m proportion it will continue to drag us back until the i ratepayers, through the Board they choose [to elect, can find sound ways and means j of remedying the disadvantage our harbor labors under to-day. At the same time, I was glad to notice that Mr Bees sees the prudence of the ! £20,000 which has been freed by the 1900 Act being expended, as contemplated, and for the new Board to prudently: ' carry out the work now m hand, so as ■to make productive as far as possible 1 the large expenditure already made. - - | Then regarding the Harbor election, : whichi s now pending, I trust that every i voter who has tho/privilege of voting at i the election, and has health and strength to get ta the poll, will go there arid vote for the candidate they m their, hearts consider best qualified to protect their interests on the Board, as though the Board were dealing with the voters' own property, and I trust that a substantial majority will see their way to returning Captain Tucker and Mr Pettie, both of whom are prudent, far-seeing men, with an all-important ability to grapple and , coolly weigh large financial questions. It must now surely be apparent that for many years past this district was and is being kept back by the foolish actions of our local bodies, and our true progress for the next ten years will~all depend upon their future actions and delib- •' erations. So does it not become more ' and more imperative for the ratepayers :to select men with, cool judgment and J a good range of mind, showing • they ' are capable, without anger or persona) considerations, of weighing and grappling with large financial questions, with a sound result for the future benefit of the district. Without this, I venture to say, it means sudden death to any scheme, no matter how good it may be, for a weak, man m finances as a rule has no confidence m his. own judgment, let alone anybody else's, and will always hesitate and baulk (and m all probability fall with a splash) just when he should be making a strong and «ure jump for progress and success. — I am. etc., W. DOUGLAS LYSNAR. [We have eliminated some references to the candidates' qualifications. To permit a discussion of the financial abilities, obstructiveness, and state of mind of some of these gentlemen might lead to recrimination, which we are most keenly anxious to avoid. — Ed.]