CORRESPONDENCE. HARBOR MATTERS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2000, 8 February 1907, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

HARBOR MATTERS.

To tho Editor of the Gisborne Times. Sir, —Your foot-note to Mr Chas. Gray’s letter, in which you state, “Tho statement referred to was made by Mr. Lysnar, but is quite erroneous,” is both unfair and improper. Mr. Gray does not charge you in your open column with having made tho statement, but a member of the Harbor Board. That being so, why have you rushed into i print to dull tho statement as “ erroneous” ? I would have thought it would have been more courteous on the part of a journal to first give the member who was responsible for tlio statement an opportunity of substantiating it before classing it as untrue. Even in your footnote itself you say "wo cannot answer for the Bluff Harbor,” which was practically the harbor quoted, and specifially referred to. May 1 ask what right you have for saying tho statement was oroneous if you did not know about the Bluff Harbor? 1 offer no excuse for writing plainly except to say that when an editor muddles himself up in something lie does not understand ho is entitled to a little of his own gruel, especially as when lie says in effect the statement of another is untrue. Now, regarding Air. Gray’s letter itself, to an unthinking mind tho inference he draws from tho fact that if we at times gives as quick dispatch in loading home boats in this port as they get at the Bluff and other ports, then we do not require an Outer Harbqf. is, of course, logical, but before a conclusion can bo arrived at tho matter must bo considered from other standpoints which to my mind outweigh the one referred to by Air. Gray in tho first place let me assure Air. Gray that it is a fact that wo do at times, weather permitting, load ocean boats with frozen meat quicker in this buy than they are loaded in some of the larger ports which have deep water harbors. When I made this statement at the last Board meeting it was verified to by the Chairman and another member. I did not say nor do 1 1 now say we have better facilities hero tlian other ports for we have not, but the fact remains we do load them quicker at times, weather permitting, which is the point at issue. Now regarding the necessity of an outer Harbor this opens up a wide subject, but the main point is that it is not meat and wool only that lias to he considered, but the passenger traffic and tho very large volume of cargo we import, particularly so regarding the imports from outside the colony, for while the homo boats will call here to take our produce to. London they will not make this a port for discharging our cargo, and this will be so as long as we have no proper Harbor. Consequently this district is handicapped very seriously in its trade and business. Then there is the financial aspect which I believe when put on to a proper basis it will be found to be more economical and we will ultimately obtain the benefits of an outer Harbor with very little if any extra revenue being paid by us to the Board than we are now paying. I am, etc., AV. DOUGLAS LYSNAR.

[lt is no pleasure to argue with a man who can be rude without a cause; but this wo forgive in the hope that as our correspondent grows older he will learn better manners. By that time too he may probably he able to discern between an “untrue” statement and an “erroneous” one, and when he has attained that degree of proficiency we may think it worth our while to consider whether or not he is competent to dictate to us how we should conduct a journal. Aleantimo we shall look elsewhere for objectlessons in the art of courtesy. It is superfluous to say that there was ample justification for naming the author of the statement quoted by Air. Gray because that gentleman quoted the words in corroboration of liis own which were the subject of our criticism, and in a way that left it open to tlie assumption that we had endorsed them. : Besides, the words were used by Air. Lysnar in a public capacity at a public meeting and had been published. He did not deny, qualify or correct them then. AVliy does lie not stand to them now ? Simply because lie knows they were "erroneous.” Now lie wants to forget all about Lyttelton and AA’ellington, and try to make believe that be referred to the Bluff “which was practically the harbor quoted and specifically referred to” lie says. Let us try to pin Air. Lysnar to tlie truth and asked liim if •he did not “specifically” mention AA’elliugton and Lyttelton as well as the Bluff? If lie aswers “Yes” we need say no more. If he answers “No,” we must look beyond him for the truth of the story.—Ed. G.T.]