WAIROA RIVER IMPROVEMENT.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3546, 20 November 1882, Page 2

WAIROA RIVER IMPROVEMENT.

[To the Editor of the Daily Telegbafh.J Siß,~ln a lat.e issue of your valuable journal you do me the honor of alluding to my proposals to carry out Mr Stewart's plan for improving the entrance to the Wairoa river, and you rather ridicule the idea that our river is worth tbe proposed expenditure, while you wind up your not altogether complimentary remarks by saying " don't you wish you may get it!" Well, Sir, I not only do wish we may get what we are agitating for, but I have very good grounds indeed for believing tnar, provided the ratepayers of the district—being the parties principally interested—back up my scheme, we shall get it. It may appear strange to you that such an insignificant place as the Wairoa should be willing to rate itself for such a scheme, but tbe fact remains that the ratepayer?, both at Clyde and Frasertown, have, with only one dissenting voice, endorsed my views, the leading landowners in the district have signified their acquieseuce with the proposals, several owners of Wairoa property living in Napier also approve them, and one of our leading native chiefs, Toha Rahu Rahu, has promised to actively eupport them also. So much has already been done. As to why the Government should assist us, you are possibly not aware that the Crown owns "some 298,606 acres of land iv this district. At a very moderate computation this land would increase £15,000 in value by the proposed works, —many people, good judges of the valu§

of property, are of opinion that it would pay the Government to undertake the work wholly and solely on account of their stake in the district, but, for argument's sake, I am content with the very moderate increase in value of £15,000, or one shilling per acre. If the Wairoa Harbor Board owned the block of land in this neighborhood lately handed over to the' Napier High School, there would be no necessity for any appeal to the Government, nor'any necessity for a special rate at all. Napier should rest content with having deprived us of our rightful endowment without 'indulging in a sneer at our, efforts to better our district. If we, as ratepayers, agree to pay £750 per annum to benefit our own pockets, surely we have a right to look to the Government to pay in proportion to their interests. Possibly the fear that if we are beforehand in rating ourselves for our own harbor, and therefore escaping any possible rating for that of Napier, impels you to throw cold water on our scheme. I am not sanguine enough to believe that what we now propose will be undertaken straight away, but the time is coming, and I feel very certain that at no very distant date Mr Stewart's proposals will be carried out. It is so completely the correct thing for the quid nuncs of Napier to crack tbeir jokes at tbe bare idea of Wairoa ever having harbor works that you are to be pardoned for joining in the current cry. I don't mind taking odds that our humble £25,000 works will be started as soon as the costly £250,000 works tor Napier. I enclose for your perusal Mr Stewart's report on this river in the hopes you will extend the same publicity to it that you have to my " ideas." Trusting that you will have soon to chronicle the successful issue of our agitation, and hoping to find you backing up my endeavors for the future.—l am, &c,

H. J. Williams. Wairoa, 17th November, 1882.