THE HARBOUR BOARD.

Western Star, Issue 54, 21 November 1874, Page 5

THE HARBOUR BOARD.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Ts Riverton going to remain for ever asleep?' It is high time for it to bestir itself. Wdiat- is our Harbor Board doing? Unless its- members begin to work at once, their office will soon be a sinecure. There is too much lethargy in Riverton—too much of letting the morrow take care of itself. The Harbour Board should commence operations at oner. There is not a moment to lose. Whilst we sleep out* prospects —pres nt and prospective- are being snatched a wav from us. Other places are wideawake.. Dunedin is immediately about to spend £200,000 in the improvement of its harbor. Invercargill, though hacked up by the Bluff, has just got a Board appointed for the New Fiver, and tliis body is setting very actively to work, and vet Mverton, whose all eventually depends upon |ts bavit.g a good port, is sleeping --ver a matter which- has a .most vital hearing on its interests. Our. railways won’t help us much; they will nlerelv be feeders for Invercargill and the Bluff. The‘ultimate prosperity of Riverton depends upon-its Being a place of export, the exit for the produce of tlie surrounding and up-country dis- ' trictsr ' Unless something is done to improve our port, in four or fiveyears property in Puluierstonstreet .will have dwindled down to one-fourth of the present value. All our traffic will bediverted to Invercargill and the JMuff. Riverton will be merely a nice little watering-place for the resort of visitors and tourists; but i s importance as a <:cir.mcr« ial town will have vanished. It is understood that negotiations, are being carried on between the provincial and General Governments ftr.dhe pure! ate by the latter of the Bluff and-Riverton railway In ee. This will bring a Jarett y round turn . into the Provincial exchequer, tieiairthat the Western District si ould have certain profit in this anticipated windfall spent wit hin its-limits. .Otago could well spare £30,C00 or / £40,000 but of tjiis amount in carrying into effect •the-views arid reeommen. atious ot the Engiueerrim Chief -in reference to the improvement of our ",Barbour ;,but we must not rest on our oars. It is - not sufficient to have rights to receive them'; • musti-light tor them, aiui urge them ti 1 they arc . gianteo. The Larbo-r heard must be spurred ■„ into action. The citizens must tee that they do their duty, or agitate for others to le put into their The curse of small places, is their sleepiness, their inertness. They forget - the woridjs u.oving.on if they are not. Whilst . , thej shep their huger and more power! ul rivals lire stealing their bin bright.. Whilst they are only active in splitting themselves into small and contemptible laciioue, each swearing deadly enmity to the-other, but never thinking of the public ' weal the while, ihe opportunity to conserve the *eal iuterefts of the community passes away rrhaps never to return. All Rivenou requires to be* alive to its real interests, even to sacrifice ...foBiC time, and it may le a little business, in the meantime by attending to ti e public necessities jn order. aliuwarc.e to reap a more abundant LantEt. —-1 am, &e., Actio’n.