THE COLONIST. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 1914. THE HARBOUR IMPROVEMENT QUESTION.

Colonist, Volume LVI, Issue 13485, 3 June 1914, Page 4

THE COLONIST. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 1914. THE HARBOUR IMPROVEMENT QUESTION.

Public opinion, we are sure, will commend the decision of the Harbour i Board not to rest content with the result of the poll on April 29th; on the improvement loan proposal. At its meeting yesterday the. Board decided to afford the ratepayers another oppor-, tunity of saying whether the improvement should or should not be carried out. The resolution given notice of by the chairman last month, to the effect that the proposal be again submitted to the ratepayers, was carried unanimously, and "the poll will be taken as soon as; the prescribed formalities are complied with. This course may be somewhat unusual, but there is such abundant justification for it that" we agree with the chairman that had the Board allowed the matter to rest where it was it would have displayed an inadequate sense of its responsibility. On a question of such importance to the whole district it is most desirable -that the ratepayers should have the fullest opportunity of expressing their judgment, and the result of the first poll was not sufficiently definite to be accepted as a final'decision. The poll on April 29th showed that there ia a substantial majority of the ratepayers in favour, of the improveimant being undertaken, ak though they were not in a sufficient majority-to carry the proposal, a •threefifths margin being required. The total number k>f valid votes polled on that occasion was 2066, three-fifths of-which is 1240, and the affirmative vote was only 86 short of the . threefifths majority. There wer6 3887 names on the roll, which it is known did not contain the names of a number of persons qualified for enrolment. There is reason to believe that another poll on the proposal will produce a different result, following more mature reflection upon the case presented in support of the scheme. Whatever the result of the; second poll may be, and we sincerely hope it will be the authorisation of the sorely needed improvement of the harbour, the Board, which has shown the strength of its conviction that the work is essential to the prosperity of the district, will have done all that it can reasonably be expected to do at present in the direction of giving the ratepayers a further opportunity to sanction or reject the scheme. It is, indeed, hardly possible that they will adopt the latter course, in view of the .overwhelming case for the proposal, and the efforts other places with fewer natural advantages than Nelson are making to place themselves in a position to cater for the growing trade they confidently expect will reward their enterprise. Nelson has already undertaken considerable expenditure in order to inaugurate the direct service, though in consideration of the benefits derived, the outlay cannot be considered large. The question now to be decided is whether the object for which that expenditure was carried out is to be defeated, and the development of the (district seriously hampered, because the requirements of trade have outgrown the facilities at present provided. We are now fairly into a period in the history of the district when frequent and reliable oversea services have become a,more urgent necessity than ever before, and unless the requirements of the situation; are met promptly, not only will it be impossible to extend the direct trade, but the advantages already won must be sacrificed.,! Neither prospect is one that can be regarded with equanimity by a district which must look beyond the Dominion for markets for a rapidly increasing output of perishable produce.