THE HARBOUR BOARDS BILL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9008, 15 August 1907, Page 4

THE HARBOUR BOARDS BILL.

4 [Per Press Association-.] DUNEDIN, August 13. The local Chamber of Commerce is forwarding a manifesto to dealing with the proposed Ha .l^ur Bill and has* telegraphed to x the Premier and the Dun -din representatives urging that 1 the passage of the Bill should be delayed until it has been reviewed. The manifesto approves oi the representation of country districts on the Otago Harbour Board, and considers that four members, instead of three, as proposed, are necessary to Adequately represent districts which include Central Otago counties and from Clutha on the south to Waihemo county on the north. It .approves of the representation of Chalmers electorate by three members, three.. Dunedin. suburbs by one member, Dunedin and St Kilda by three, arid payers of dues by one 1 member, provided that general commer- : ckl interests are also, represented by a , member elected by the Chamber of Commerce. Further, the Chamber submits that the representation^ proposed to fie given to country districts to a large extent doee away with the need for Government nominees on the Otago Board, and that instead of four Government nominees two should now suffice. It expresses disapproval of the proposed general withdrawal from .Chambers of Co mmVfco of the right to elect a. member of their respective local Boards, » s tho local .Chambers consist of those most directly and personally engaged in the trade of their ports. The manifesto also disapproves of the proposal to elect Harbour Board representatives of Dunedin city, suburbs or country districts on an basis on account of the verf considerable expense •■ involved in such course, and continues: " In particular we disapprove of put-' ting the Harbour Bjoard in a worse position in this respect than seems to bo intended in other districts. We submit that there ought to be uniformity of method as regards these appointments, and, further, that the various City Councils, Borough Councils and County Councils, being directly chosen by the electors, constitute suitable electoral colleges capable of choosing proper representatives to sit on Harbour Boards. . WELLINGTON. August 14. , The Hon. T. Kennedy Macdonald, M.L.C, and Messrs Alison, Laurenson and Graham, 'members of the House of Representatives, representing the Exej cutive .Council of the Harbour Boards' ! Association, waited on the Minister of Marine .to-, ay to lay before him sugi gestions regarding the Harbour BoardBill. The principal suggestions' were that an interpretation clause defining "electors" is required; and that the provisions of the Local Elections Act, 1904, shall apply ; that a clause should be inserted providing that the local authority shall supply copies of the roll to the Harbour. Board, and that the last will printed hy the local authority shall be the. roll used; that existing constitution Acts where superseded ehould be specifically repealed; that regulations governing' elections by payers of dues and owners of ships gazetted under Order-in-Council on January 7. 1892, should be embodied as a schedule to and be made operative by the Bill; that the qualifications of a payer of dues at Wellington should be made the same as at other ports, namely, y £3 in place of £10; that additional machinery should be provided, setting out who shall be entitled to exercise the voto of a payer <)f dues; that machinery should he provided for obtaining particulars for the roll of payers of dues from the Railway Department where it works wharves; that the date in the schedule in the Bill, tlie w 15th day of January last preceding the election,' should be altered to "'.the 31st day of December last preceding the election I in each case where it occurs, so as to be !in line with the above regulations ; that in the amended constitution of Harbour Boards provision should be made for separate representation of (a) payers of dues in respect to goods, and (b) payers of dues in respect to ships ; that upon the assumption that the number of > Government nominees not exceed two, the executive of the Harbour Boards' Association recommends that the number of members on. the Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton and Otago Harbour Boards should not exceed thirteen; that the executive would again bring before the Government the resolutions passed at the conference of Harbour Boards in 1904, as follows :— " That in respect to Harpour Boards which have no rating powers the basis of representation 6hall be as follows : (a) Owners of ships and payers of dues of £3 and upwards per .annum, (b) ratepayers, of principal city, and of seaport respectively, (c) mayor of principal city, or chairman of principal town board, (d) members to be returned by county councils and boroughs within district," and Avould point out that such resolution does not include nomination by, the Government. The Hon J. A. Millar told -the deputation he thought the boards ought certainly to be reduced, lie believed a basis of . representation might be arrived at by simply taking the > whole ratable value of the place and its surrounding district, and giving representation in proportion. The cities would, no doubt,, have increased representation by tbi6 means, because the chances were that the Government nominees would come from the cities. He found difficulty in giving shipowners separate representation. For example, in Dunedin, they would have about three shipowners electing a representative for themselves, at Lyttelton about two. and Wellington would have about twelve owners. Then there was the Union Company. They could not give that company representation upon all the boards of the colony. The Minister said he wished to make the hoards as far as possibl e_ elective, -and he would be glad to go into the whole matter. ' ___________■-_------.