Harbour Board Representation

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 75, 30 July 1948, Page 5

Harbour Board Representation

MR SULLIVAN ON AMENDMENT BILL (Special to Beacon) Wellington, July 29. The clause to which the Opposition took most exception was the clause which provided for additional representatives on Harbour Boards to represent workers in the waterfront industry, not to represent the watersiders as had been stated, said Mr W. Sullivan (National, Bay of Plenty) discussing the Harbours Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives. He claimed the Bill provided for sectional representation.

“If we want to retain the system of democratically elected Government that we have known through the ages, we must stand firm on the democratic law of one man one vote, of which we ’have heard so much in this House earlier,” he remarked. The Bill cut right across the recommendations of the report of the Local Government Committee, he said. The small harbour boards at Tauranga, Whakatane, and so on, would have one waterside worker appointed to their membership. “The Opposition desires to see the continuance of elective local body control,” said Mr Sullivan. “Every member should be elected on the broadest franchise, and we have a broad franchise. Those who framed the Dominion’s legislation worked to that end, but this Government seeks to break it down. All sections can have representation on any local body, and any man or woman may stand for election.

“Is the Government going to extend this sort of thing to city councils and borough councils and to other local bodies? Is this the thin edge of the wedge? If the waterside industry is entitled to representation, are not the consumers entitled to some representation also? Are not the transport operators entitled to representation? All those people can be represented now under the elective system if they care to offer themselves or their representatives for selection. Where is this going to end? “If the Minister is not prepared to withdraw the clause then let him do what the Opposition suggests—refer it to the Local Government Commission, and let the commission decide whether or not there is justification for this action. I say there is no justification whatever for it. “I am sorry to see our electoral laws being so interfered with as to bring about changes which are opposed to true principles of democracy—our elective form of democracy about which we all boast. Here we have it again being upset in this legislation -just as has been done previously over the last few years.”