NEW PLYMOUTH.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3161, 16 August 1881, Page 3

NEW PLYMOUTH.

August 16

A public meeting was held in New Plymouth last evening, relative to the parliamentary committee on the harbor works, when there were settlers present from all parts of the district. H. R. Richmond was in the chair. The following resolutions were carried unanimously, although there were one or two noisy persons present. (1) This meeting protests in the most emphatic manner against the conclusion arrived at by the New Plymouth harbor committee of the House of Representatives, such conclusion being erroneous and evidently based on insufficient and incorrect data, the Board and the District not having had sufficient opportunity to adduce evidence. (2) That this meeting is of opinion that the Tarauaki District is clearly entitled to the twenty-five per cent of ber land fund for harbor purposes, as other districts of the colony have had nearly the whole of tbe proceeds of their landed estate devoted to local purposes, whilst Taranaki owing to the native difficulty and disturbances, has never received a fair share. (3.) That the colony has pledged itself to the carrying out of the New Plymouth harbor works, and upon the faith of that pledge very many persons have settled aud invested in this District, both in the purchase of Crown lands and otherwise, and that this meeting is of opinion that a stoppage of tbe harbor works, and a reappropriation of the harbor fund to other purposes would be a gross violation of public faith guaranteed by legislative enactment, and would inflict an injury on the whole District. One or two attempted to oppose these resolutions, but they were not well up in facts, and were listened to with impatience.