TIMARU HARBOUR BOARD.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 13015, 30 June 1906, Page 6

TIMARU HARBOUR BOARD.

BEPBfeSENTATIOX TO BE AMENDED. >TOW3f AKD COUSTRY."-

The Timaru Harbour Board adjourned their-ordinary monthly meeting last week till yesterday, holding'over for a full meeting aii motion by Mr J. Manchester regarding readjustment of the" representation. The Board met at 11.30 a-m. j there was a full-? meeting, and-Mr Kinnerney, the Board's legal adviser, was present. Mr; Manchester's motion, of which notice bad been given, was to the effect that the necessary steps be taken to obtain, in the ensuing session of Parliament, amending legislation to provided for a fairer distribution of the representation. Mr Manchester now brought forward a complete proposal,) as follows: "Tiufe in pursuance of notice of motion given to alter the represectation of certain districts on this Board it is hereby resolved that such a change is desirable and that steps be taken? forthwith to secure legislative authority by an amending Act and that such altered 'representation shall be as follows:—Two persons for the Borough of Timaru; two for the district ofJlakikihi, two for the district of Pareora, three forievek County, all other districts to remain as at present. And that such amending Act jtbaU provide power for the Board from time to time to alter presentation of any district or districts -as it may desirable, such power to be exercised only' by special of notice has been given and posted ta> each member ..of the Board at least seven clear 'days before the day of meeting, acd thafsucß. resolution shall be carried by at least three-fifths "of the present urban such resolution Js., put, any such changes\o take effect at' the next following £eneial election of member*." Sneaking to tin* motion, which was asp conded pro forma by Mr Skinner, Mr Manchester saidJie had had several difficulties in drawing up his motion, one being a fear of making the Board too cumbrous by adding too many to the number of members; and another that.he did- not. know'the oorthem part of the district very wefl. There could be no question that the representation ought to be fixed in proportion to taxable values, and this prindpV required amendments in' the* representation. It was said in some quarters that the merchants and shippers of Timaru were entitled to special representation. He denied thai, as those classes were only intermediaries for the producers and the consumers, and the consumers were largely and the producers almost wholly, country people. * Besides Timaru had not a moswjgoily of merchants and shippers, nor,of newspapers, and some of the figures mfl£ nsara.papers had been proved to be wrong: He. believed that putting the representation/ on a fair basis wouM please the ratepayers; and that was a thing the Board should atedy. The ratepayers would readCy pay anything, they were reasonably called- upoa tojjay, it they felt satisfied that they were feMy represented. For that reason be noped his reaolntian would be carried!. As . to the details he was quite open to accept

Mr Skmner, fhe. seconder, had no wish to seduce tberapresentative of Timaru. He thbaght the Pareora and MtfkfkSu-and IjeveW were enfitkd to another: ' k . 'The chairman pointed out that Mr Manchester's proposal would give four members for.a smaller valuation than that for which it gavavonly three to Geraldine., 5& Tien* said Geraldine was quite satisfied "witk its'present representation. 'The cnari-man gave the following' as the present valuations of the several districts menliuued m. the disenssion:—Timaru "Boroegh (3 member,}, £1,200,000: Geraldme County and included boroughs (3). Sl; LeveU County (2), £l,992,<Job;':MacKenaie County (1), £880,500; part of Waimate County (2), £2,459 857. __» TnrnTjfull said the' motion' was a *elf«h one for the benefit 'of the southernP"»* of Out district, and would 1 merely traasfer inequality from one end to the <«■»•_ ;It-would not be so ibad perhaps n ivaaßafe borough' was brought ia. The Bill would have "eudden gatae so long: a» 3lr Hali-JoneV was «*«Ber; because the- people of Timaru; «snatX t eßj«*»t*ifc:-- Mr Manchester geaMni the.rproducers as" againvt"■■"■■■fcf lurii sett stand, *?ifam*mm «I-»«aCry-bf d>e*^w<B^sesfh (l mtq .e* rejuA^Tina«*i» f ps«roant. lUtf caaWl haads;-aad- tan uendaeer bad i*w f*stm#f mtscial in it .. .--■ ■• *? * --.if^fi»rl

Mr Mandwtter repeated that he wui p, 2*™!U? vtoj&mimu.ia detail.-,, g«ttd by - adttftted ibe &a«»'of tb« propo^i:^ fid ant Me any practical becefit in ifc , Mr Thar, ia reply to Mr TnrnbolVs reiiiik that the products did net -belong .to the producers by "the time they- reached Tmura, nil tint the. merchants who bought the produce took, into account the freights and port charges, whatever, they, ' Mr. Hole, agreed .that £he repieseatation- . ' oogbt, .V' • ftfetbe' KiDiKty-'' ' - tir^B&rd; ' S '** ' noir '- adding .t«r«t<"3>QM: „Br«!>er»/"c«dd^^ : improve ■:*.'' "Be v re-. I^is !^.j^^ W«anate. x*V Y * ptieLifafion lutfierto' hid, nokVtenßed *'td progre*?.' TncreaOTg"llje-'tTEi:b3r cf ~ens-

bers would, only increase talk, not add to efficiency of the Board. He agreed with Mr Turnbull that they should leave things alone. - Mr Bowker agreed with Mr. Turnbull that- most of the Waimate produce ' went south to Oamaru, people saidthey got tv better marked there. - He * claimed that the" present Boar«f" ha'd done' -their very beat,-and he did not approve of too large! But it*was absurd to talk of cutting /down the Jmembers of Timoro/ There-ought, indeed; an additional town member, to. represent the Chamber of Commerce, as ! was the case at Napier. *' Mr Young would let tJ" n g* remain as they were, and if any change was to be made, it should be an''•increase in the representation of Timaru* . He thought Wi&nate was fairly; well represented. He regretted that the cry of "country versus I town" had "been" raited." "The- country had everything in its- own .hands now—eight to three, and Waimate was fairly treated. „ { Mr Angland looked upon the proposal as, useless and a waste, of- time. The chairman admitted l tbat on the valuations Waimate was entitled to another member, and the Levels also; bat "was.-it worth -the expense of, a Bill to ■add-two new-nfembers to the' Board? Mr Lyall would favour leaving: Timaru as i the t town ' numbers had the advantage of contact with, shipping people. He thought that Waimate, however; wais entitled to--an additional .member. ;, -,'/ ~ A ,.Mr" agreed;to amend his motion -to cut -out" the"" reference to Tiniarn. and to add an extra member to the Levels and to the portion of Waimate ccunty, the latter,- to' saver *lt«a»-tion-of boundaries->and making«out .new roHsfrto.be allotted as the second .member to Makikihi. -

In reply to a qaestion, Mr Kinnerney said*..the cost of an unopposed -Bill would* be about,£3or He did not think,the House would give the' Board power- to amend the representation themselves -by resotutiau. . r- » 1 The -Mafcikihi district" referred to by Mr Manchester includes two ridings of Waimate County, -MakHrihi . and Deep Creek, and the Pareora district two ridings also, Upper and it was 1 suggested .that the additional - member should -be/gsven to taleVsou&ern riding, Deep Creek. Mr Mancnester said he was quite indifferent whieh of the districts bad the prefeieucsx - , x Mr Lyatt to give him' *>» Makikihi

In • the coiOT •eff % - : « . general reply.' to objactmn*. tlb 2? bl>Cßeßter stated that the from, 'the?| narnonr t rstiinWjEsmricfrwaa neCdue to -ariy action by the jmbple of the ooroughj but of. the Harbour which.: by desire -ana ones* Jeft>tl»pp<ougfL.pne, of thrr district:-7 TH* Wann^rpmfe- never objected ts. attempt >sw'iam) iD,im| after- naif * mHßbri "He dkemtij- of setting country was moving for between tßem>. Mi "Ms'im Twsir,ft_jplMnlt il out that Mr-Turnbull had 'centrfdfidted statejmenta .made-in 'support ef th#[Waimate ! IncTnsierit JRll,' tfiaC att the produce of Waimate passed* tnrough Tnnani. ' - Amendments-were madem.Mr Manches.unfiT ft. pvrrided. only that, one' addftmnal member sfibuld be Leveia County and one to l&kikihi, aO other -districts remanriag at at present, > the,. change- to take effect at the next general election. On Being put to the, vote the proposal was carried by sir to five For—Messrs Manchester, Skmner, Tfiew, LyaC, Goodwin, and-Fraserr against—Messrs Young, Bowker, Hole, England, and Turnbull. The- chairman* said Mr KTuneraey would TBnrwaa: all the buauisuu and the Board ToseL .7' A " *