THE INDIGNATION MEETING.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16373, 22 June 1927, Page 11

THE INDIGNATION MEETING.

(To the Editor of tlie Herald.) Sir, —Last night the City Hall was tilled with people, some of them anxious about the harbor, many of them there for the' amusement provided. The speakers were all against the Board, and all prophesied disaster. The other side, of course, had to sit tight and take it smiling. Will you allow me a little space—a long letter is read by few —-to show only one of two of the worst of the errors made. Dr. Collins spent a great deal of time showing that, “in September, 1925, the Board had £500,000 to -spend, and the works were estimated to cost £600,000,” and he proclaimed that as showing a deficiency. Of course it does not. The £600,000 was the estimate of the total cost of the works, of which there was then completed work to the. value of £45,900, and a very large sum had been spent on plant and preliminary' work necessary for the rest of it. It was only Dr. Collins’ mistake to assume that that £600,000 had then to be produced out of the £500,000 remaining. A large part- Of the £600,000 laid already been spent, and only the balance had to be found out of this £500.000. lie made the very same mistake nejj 1 the end of his speech when “lie asked the public if they could explain some individual differences in the estimates as, for instance —1925, breakwater extension £3-8,000; 1927, £32,500 ; 1925. island breakwater £135,000; 1927, £117,000; 1925, Cook quay £40,000; 1927. £35,0C0.” The explanation is visible to any who will look. In 1927 part of the work is done; the work still to he done is less than it was in 1925. Childish mistakes like that explain why Dr. Colins left the Board. He said last night that “he had left the Board in January, 1926, as he realised that he would' not get any support to his objections.” The Board found out 'Dr. Collins. When he realised that, he resigned. Last- night the board and Mr. Campbell were attacked on many points, to all of which I’d like, to reply, but you cOuld not spare the space, so I’ll only touch on one.— Whareongaonga. It is the fashion now to condemn the quarry and to blame Mr. Campbell because we are there; but I would like to point that in October, 1923, when Mr. Campbell’s plans were rejected by eight to- seven, he planned to get- the stone from Hicks Bav. If Dr. Collins on that occasion had not voted with the country members we’d have had good stone from •Hicks Bay long ago. It is owing to Dr. Collins more than anyone else that we are at Whareongaonga now.—l am, etc., THOR. TODD.