PATEA HARBOUR.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1886, 21 October 1913, Page 4

PATEA HARBOUR.

PAST INCREASING EXPORTS. MR. PEARCE AND HIS CRITICS. Mr. G. V. PEARCE (Patea) moved the second 'leading of tlio Patea Harbour Bill, the object of which ho said was to improve the harbour as a coastal port.' The Bill provided for the raising :• of £86,000 if necessary, but it was Quite possiblo that a smaller 311111 would '■■■ Mifl-'.co and in any caso tlio rato was limited to Jd. in the £. Ho quoted : figures to show the increase of exports

from tho port of Patea, and stated the in eight years the total had increased b over £500,000, and was now £836,00( The exports from this port last yea would havo been even larger but for th fact that owing to tho lack'of sufficien refrigerating space in vessels a grea deal of produce was railed to Waner iW! 1 ,' 1 -We'lniEton.. Ho had been tol that the; Patea River was verv muc like the Clyde, where the battleshi Now Zealand was built. (Laughter. He been told that Sir John Cood had estimated that a harbour with 2 feet of wator could bo provided at th a t Pntea for an expenditure 0 £300,000, which he (Mr. Penrce) di not think could be dono at either Wa nganui or Now Plymouth. Ho referrei to tho area of about 100,000 acres ii the Wait-otara district, which had beei loft out of tho Wanganui schedule and said that tho Short Commissioi had recommended that this should' bloft out. When the Bill camo beforo thi Local Bills Committeo a largoly-signe< petition was received asking for the ox elusion of this area from the Wanga nui rating . area. Although ho , (Mr Pearco) owned property in that are: ho had nothing to do with tho petition and in fact ho did not know anything about it until it camo to Wellington He had always found it cheaper to sent his produce to Patea than' to ,Wanga nui.. He had made no bargain in tin matter whatever. Ho referred to ai incorrect map which ho said had beer issued by some unscrupulous people it Wanganui, and also to another incorrect map which he said had been pui before the Committee. When tho area excluded from the Wanganui schedule was cut out of tlio Wanganui Bill the Crown Law Draftsman said that ii could not be inserted in the Patea Bill. After the matter had been brought before the House, however, and referred back to tho Local Bills Committee, the area in question, by consent of the chairman of the Wanganui Harbour Board, was inserted in tho Patea schedule, there being no objections, despite the fact that advertisements inviting objections had been widely published. More Objections. SIR JOSEPH WARD said that he had received numerous representations regarding this Bill from substantial settlers. They were complaining that the area fixed for rating- purposes in tho Wanganui Bill had been unreasonably curtailed. The statement convoyed to him was that a number of settlers had not received treatment equal to that accorded to other people. It was asserted that certain properties that were included in last year's Bill had been excluded this year owing to certain influences being brought to bear. The petitioners who wero objecting should bo hoard before either of these two Bills passed. Mr. Davey (Christchurch East): That would mean going back to the Committee. Sir Joseph Ward: Well, that should bo dono if it is necessary to enable the petitioners to stato their objections. Mr. Pearce: You do not understand the position. Sir Joseph .Ward: I am stating the representations mado to mo. One of the settlers came all tho way to Wellington to seo mo about the matter. Tho people who havo communicated with me are not supporters of mine, but thoy aro strong supporters of the Government. Sir Joseph Ward also said that it had been stated that attempts had been mado to preclude the publication in a certain section of the press of tho views of thoso who considered that they had been unfairly treated in the matter.

Mot Understood. Mr. W. A. VEITCH (Wanganui) said that he wan not sure that Kir Joseph Ward understood the position correctly. Nothing improper had been done in regarcj to the allocation of tho Wanganui harbour boundaries, although there had boen negotiations between different members of the House. As to the insinuation that tho property of certain members of tho House had beon left out in order to esoapo taxation, ho did not believe that any member would ■be guilty of such a thing. That was not tho object in view at all. The arrangomeht made between Wanganui and 1 atea Mvas a perfectly fair one. Ho knew nothing about pressure being brought to bear on any nowspapers. it was an absolute impossibility to constitute a harbour rating area that would satisfy everybody, but the people concerned had been given an amplo opportunity of tendering evidence before the Local Bills Committee. Tho position in a nutshell was that a fow largo landowners were determined to force tho town and suburbs of Wanganui to bear the whole cost of tho projected harbour improvements. Tho present rating area was an absolutely fair one, but somo largo landowners, one in particular, whose land lay quite closo to the harbour, objected to being included in the rating area. He submitted that the time was past for considering proposals to enlarge or reduce tho rating area, becauso tho wliolg thing had been fully considered. Tho wliolo of the agitation, he continued, was duo to about three landowners wlio wero fighting the Wanganui Bill. They were not particularly opposed to tho Patea Bill except that by having this Bill held up they hoped that tho Wanganui Bill would also ho held up. No injustice had been done. Even if tho country rating area was smaller than it should bo (which ho did not admit) tho town and suburban properties were paying double tho rates that the country paid. What somo of tho objectors really wanted was to got a harbour • without paying for it. As showing that tho sfgning of petitions counted for little ho stated that one man had communicated to him a request to remove his name from a petition. He did not know tho man, and did not know what petition ho had signed, but the request was significant. The present position was tho result of mature consideration, and ho sincerely hoped ■ that tho ITouso would allow both tho Patea and .Wanganui Bills to proceed as soon as possible. It was only reasonable that tho people of Patea and Wanganui should bo_ allowed to manage their own affairs in their own way. Objections Removed. Mr. C. A. WILKINSON (Eginont) said that as far as ho was concerned tho Bill was now quite satisfactory. The territory that had been in dispute be-

tivcon the Patea and Wanganui hnrliour districts had been allocated, and any detail objections could bo dealt with in Committee. Ho supported tho Bill as it stood. Mr. PEAKG'E, in reply, said tliat thc Leader of the Opposition had mentioned a petition, but had not said what side of tho district it was coming from. Tho whole of tlio part of the district in which his property lay had now boon included in the Patea harbour district. Tho Rill was read a second time on tlio voices. V/ANGANUI BILL AGAIN. The Wanganui Harbour Bill was now again called upon, but the Prima Minister suggested that it should be held over until tlio Patea Harbour Bill had boon dealt with in Committee. In his opinion both tho Patea and Wanganui Harbour Bills wero quite safe, and might bo oxpected to pass. Mr. VEIIOH said that ho could see 110 reason for this postponement, but would agreo to it if it was tho wish of the House. On tho motion, of tho Primo Minister it was agreed that consideration of the report on the Wanganui Harbour Bill should stand over until after tho Patea Harbour, Bill should be dealt with in Committee.

"COALS OF FIRE." MR. ATMORE AND HIS BILL. When the City of Nelson Loans Conversion and Empowering Bill, which was down for second reading, was called upon, Mr. M'Callum said that Mr. Atmoro, who is in chargo of tho Bill, had deputed him to movo the second reading Tho PRIME MINISTER, alluding to the fact that Mr. Atmore, together with other Opposition members, was attending a party "reunion" at Stratford, remarked jestingly that in allowing the Bill to proceed was really heaping coals of firo 011 Mr. Atmoro's head, considering that tho member for Kelson liad probably been "slating" the Government for all that ho was worth during tho last hour and a half. He suggested that the Bill should not be put through its Committee stage that night. Procedure. SIR JOSEPH WARD said that neither this Bill nor any other was entitled to go through its second reading and Coitfuiitteo stages oil the same night. The slow and deliberate procedure on Bills was intended to safeguard tho public interest. He was glad that the Primo Minister appreciated tho good work that tho member for Nelson was doiug elsewhere. Tho PItLME M L\ ISTER said that in all tho years ill which ho had been in Parliament and in which the Leader of tho Opposition had been in Parliament it had been tho practice to put Local Hills i which wero- not contentiouß through their second reading and Committee stages on tho same night. Ho did not say that this should apply to a contentious measure. Sir J. Ward: They should nil be treated alike. Tho Prime Minister: You'can't treat them all afiko. Ho contended that there could bo no possiblo objection to putting a non-contentious Local Bill through all, its stages in, one night. Sir J. Ward asked whether this would extend to the City of Nelson Bill, Tho Primo Minister said that the Attorney-General had just informed him that there was 110 objection to this Bill and that it had been fully considered by tho Local Bills Committee. Ho would not therefore oppose its progress. Sir J. Ward said that ho was glad to seo tho Primo Minister display a spirit of such sweet reasonableness.

Always Ttoasonabls. The Prime Minister said that he was always reasonable. Thcobjoct of this reform (dealing with Local Bills on Monday night) was to deal with these measures at an early stage in the session and not hold them back until the end of tho session. Ho hoped that the Leader of the Opposition would withdraw his objection to putting tho noncontentious Bills through all stages at cm sitting. Sir J. Ward said that ho had no objection, ; and tho House proceeded to deal rapidly with the Nelson Bill and a number of other measures. , NON-CONTENTIOUS DILLS. RAPID DISPATCH. In addition to tho Gisfaorno Harbour Board Enabling Bill, dealt with early in the evening, the following non-conten-tious Bills wero put through all thoir stagesTimaru Harbour Board' Empowering Bill, Westport Public Parks Vesting Bill, Springs County Council Reclamation and Empowering Bill, Otago Harbour Board Empowering Bill, Auckland City Empowering Bill, Bluff Harbour Board Empowering Bill, Western Taieri Land Drainage Board Enabling Bill, Wanganui Borough Council Street Access Empowering Bill, Whaligarei Foreshore Vesting Bill, Hamilton High School Reserve Bill, City of Nelson Loans Conversion and Empowering Bill. Save for the Otago Harbour Bill, which gave rise to a brief discussion on a matter of trust investment, tho whole of the foregoing measures (twelve in number) were dealt with insido about half an hour. Tho House rose at 11.3 p.m.