The Daily News. THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 1901. THE HARBOUR BOARD MUDDLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 124, 20 June 1901, Page 2

The Daily News. THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 1901. THE HARBOUR BOARD MUDDLE.

Our Inglewood concernpoary in concluding a report of the discussion which took place at the last Harbour Board meeting re the confirmation ol the minutes says:-"The town numbers of the Beard are evident y much chagrined at th:ir recent defeat, and would like to see the motion giving the coun'ry ratepiye:s a fair measure of justice.wiped out of the Bjaid's record?, but waste pleased to see thcCbairman and Messrs McL'an, Hignett and Rale staiding to val'a i--1 ly to their gun?. Tho wlvde bu-in. ?s attb'ds an indication to <ount r y ratepayers of Nes Plymouth clique " would c J o if they only hid the Considering that tiro country r i'epayera elect five < u 1 ; of six of the memb&rs of the Board elacted by the ratepayers, it is hard to see whe e th injustice comes io. Inditd, as we already pointed ou>, the country ratepayers really have th« election of a majority of the Board on all questions iii their hands and it shows tha>. the ratepayers themselves, exceptiug a small sectionsof them,have no sympathy with the town versus country cry which is kept alive by interested parties. In fact it is f-uch bitter and injudicious paragraphs as the one we are referring to tbit helps to keep alive the town v, country fee'iog. Inst ad of finding fault with what our contemporary erroneously cr Is " the New Plymouth clique,"—because the gentlemen thus offensively referred to have all of them ' larger interests in the country than ir j the town of New Plymouth, and a far larger s'abe in the district than some 'of those he spe j .ka of as " stmding so valiantly to their guns," our contemporary tliould have given the ntepayers in hisd'S'iict a true account rf how the aforesaid " valiant membi rs " in induced the motion whild Mr Newton King, who represents the largest arid most populous dis'rict, which ols) contributes the largest share of ra'es, wr<s absent, knowing that they could carry the motion on the cas ing vote of the Chairman even if j all the remaining eight members weiv present. At it happdts, the motion was never carried, because the Chairman gave no opportunity to propts9 an amendment-, and, therefore, cull not constitutionally put the motion, The so-callod New Plymouth cl'qije never dre.nded t > such cor,due!; as to lt ck the dcor of the meetirg ioim unci thus l entrap the members into an illegal] division. Our Inglewood cot t lnporary says : - " The whole business atl\rds nu i indication to country ratepa ers ol what the 'New Plymouth clique' would do if th<y only had the p>wer." Can our contemporary give any instanc s (f abuse of power on tho part of the " New Plymouth clique," During the whole of the time, when with Mr. Newton Kirg ti.ey had a maj ri*y tcey did not do any- 1 thing injurious to the interests of the country ratepayers, and, at the fist meeting tf tho present Board wlen the election of chairman <ame on, Messrs. Co-rnefct, Ward, Sar'en, and ClifT, whom the Inglewood paper cat's " the Ni w Plymouth clique," held the pjwerin their o.vn hands as Mess s. Maxwell, McLean, and Hignett were th*' only tithi r momb:riI pivse t. Tf th< y had b.i n so a xio'iF to injure- t he country , ate} it. er-; as our contemporary would have u, believe whv did thty nntoppose the re election of Mr, Maxwell as chai<man and put c.ne of thetnselvi sin. This would hive given them tho casting v e ol ali que tions, hu'i tl.ey declined to take advantage of thti nturii v- and now their moderat'on is filing used as a rod for th-. ir o'vn ba. ks. T e fact is ; there are members on the B.aid who are block ng the progress of the port by opposing everything for it< go.rd and wasting money in experiments such as

the sand pump aud at tlw same time throwing dust, in the eyt:< of the c»un- t tiy ratepayers by raising such ques- r tions us this representation question and the loan bogey. Wi> fear ths 1 trouble is Wg> ly politi a! and until the | pulitic.il element is irr.idi.at d then will a'ways be trouble on the Bord. : With a tection uf ihe Bo rd ev ty pretext is seized upon to make tron'-h be'.w, en the railway or other Govern ment Depntme t and we belit-v e it .vou'd be very much in thi.- in eies i f bo'li tlie ia'epiye:siind 'he fort if th Hail way Departmrnt tiok cer th cjutiol of tin >vh l'f cr h-'.J a loprisonta'ive "ti the Board. In selecting snneor.e to fill the vac-nty c usjd bj Mr. Clid's lvsigU'tion we hope a reall) strong in .n .will le se'ec'ed; we ca (- nos whether he be town or c.untiy s I-.eg as he will work hones ly, co - »isteu ly and fai» ly for the inUns's committed to his cl.aig

Ju?t a word in t otelusion. Is it. not ima t'i« town and country cry was hopped ? The growth of d„iiy indus try has sho.vn that the jM-fc ;s «S itujO.tirit to th) coun'ry as the town, and we are satisfied that it can bt i't-adu-il y developed out of r-iveiiiic wi hout liouling aoot! or loan. In an) c:is) there i re ijO local prop sals befort the B>erd, or in conteraplaio Further, the country set t, rs are per fee ly safe, because t! e Bo>rd has m poivtr to apply rate lwei.ua to an ether pu.pose ihin paying 'he ;i teres j ■j<\ the pieseijt loui, and no fre-d | cor.owii.g can 'aky pi ce without th iat p yers being consulted. Th i r.p'cl iiicret< e iu the tiade and lvv.nue ol thii port shews that if iat; pay<rs will only return menibu's who will tfo their best to fosei that trade and wo k heartily in the interests of expor;ei\ and impoit, rs, they, the rattpajeis, wi.'l Eoon find tbat they have an esctllent property in their hands, There is veiy lit le doubt but that wh n th> pre§ nt 1 »aci matur s t h it it can t e r.ji.ewed on very favour tile lenus, and the rate vey miterially lightened. 1 In any case tlia iniensts of the town , and counny are to d / p together that the w< lfare of both will bi adveuovd more by h-ar'y co-op ..alitn ch;m by wo king at cro-s purp. se ! ,