GISBORNE HARBOR AND HARBOR BOARD ELECTION.

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 64, 19 March 1901, Page 2

GISBORNE HARBOR AND HARBOR BOARD ELECTION.

(To the Editor of the Times). Sir,—ln fairness to the coming Harbor Election and to myself, I would thank you if you would kindly insert the following extract which the Editor of the Poverty Bay Herald eliminated from a letter I wrote him yesterday, upon the ■above subject. I make this request with a desire that your readers can judge for themselves as to whether the. Herald was right in eliminating this portion of my letter. "How can the public judge of the qualifications of public men if we are not to be allowed to criticise their public career within fair bounds I claim I have written nothing personally offensive to the gentlemen alluded to, which by the omission from my letter it might be thought I had done. Perhaps some oi your readers might think the characteristics noted are favorable to the candidates named. I have copied this extract from the rough draft of my letter. There were some alterations in it which I made in recopying it which I had not inserted in the draft, but I have added these as near as I can remember. [Eptiuct.] “ Now, regarding these other candidates standing for the election, I confess I do not consider that they have the cool, impartial judgment necessary to weigh and reliably consider the large financial questions that must be considered by the Harbour Board so as to insure trne progress and sure results, and in this respect I would like to point out the shallowness of Mr Whinray’s financial ability when he, in cold print through the columns of your paper some seven or’ eight months back, in opposing certain work on the river bank, suggested that promissory notes, payable in 10 years time, should be given by our patriotic citizens, to be pledged as security so as to immediately raise money in order to provide funds for beautifying other parts of tho town which he considered more central, altogether overlooking the possibility of those who'gave the notes being dead or having sold out and gone to the other end of the world before the 10 years matured, and I say when a man will publicly suggest such finances as he did in this case, ho is' not worthy of being returned on our local Harbor Board, which should, and must be, guided by sound financial minds. “ Again, I think Mr Whinray displayed great want of foresight when he recently made representations that the new Post Office should be erected somewhere in the

vicinity of his shop in upper Gladstone Road, and I would not be at all surprised should Mr 'Whinray be returned on the Harbor Board to hear of him advocating some new harbor works so as to bring them opposite.his shop. In any case it is hardly to be expected he would support Mr Rees’ scheme, as it would take them further away from his shop than at present. ~ . “ Now, regarding Mr Joyce, if the ratepayers desire to obstruct the present work now in hand, or to retard any future schemes that might.'be brought forward, or if they desire to bring discord into tho present or future Board, by all means return him at the next election ; but if they want a sound, cool thinking member it is to be hoped that they will not record their votes in his favor.” Thanking you in ; anticipation, I am,’ etc. W. Douglas Lysnab.