IS GISBORNE WAKING UP.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume L, Issue 16370, 1 March 1924, Page 4

IS GISBORNE WAKING UP.

(To the Editor of the Herald.) r Sir, —Permit us to congratulate.Meßsrs. C. G, 'Blooro and F. R.‘ Ball';upon ,;t ho very successful .entry..which each of those gentlemen has now made upon the arena of practical politics. The dignified utterance of the President of the Chamber of Commerce, and the businesslike facts supplied by Mr. Ball will, we trust, be the first of many expressions of the educated opinions of the district. We claim to have been the first to unveil the true inwardness of the Williams’ rating scheme, which will now probably fall' to tho ground like the stick of an exploded rocket, and we notice 5 with satisfaction thatj our comments- have befiij'. taken up and amplified both by proponent business men and from the editorial chair.' The purpose of this letter is, however, to point out. that the commercial conscience of the district, which is now for the first time being awakened, should not be allowed to slumber again merely because this particular example of obstruction tactics has failed to*come off. There have been earlier incidents of a parallel nature, and there will be still further manifestations of caution by the Die-hard Eight. In. particular, wei anticipate that there will be a spirited wrangle over Mr. Furkert’s recommendations, when they make their belated appearance*, and there will also bfe much oratory over the ' position of. the loan, which the Board shows no disposition to! raise. These two minor operations will easily use up the next four or five meetings of the Board. The time will not. be .ripe for an active move in connection with our proposals for a new Board, until shortly before Parliament meets, and there will he complete inaction meanwhile unless there is continual and strong expression of tho intention of the community to have what they want and what their representatives have signally failed to give them. Every prominent man in Gisborne who finds courage to come out into tho open with a candid statement of his intention to assist in the general demand for progress, will claim general respect and obtain almost unanimous support , from: tbe. public. Without such a lead as this, and a lead which the people have a right to expect, Poverty Bay will remain •indefinitely in the Slough of Despond.— We are, etc., , , THE GISBORNE HARBOR PROGRESS ASSOCIATION.