THE HARBOR BILL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2127, 9 July 1907, Page 1

THE HARBOR BILL.

AVAIAPU’S PROTEST. Tho cleric of tho AVuiapu County Council luis addressed the following letter to tho Gisborne Harbor Board : “Sir, —I am instructed by this Council to communicate with you and state that this' Council most emphatically protests against tho proposal to have this county included within the district intended to bo rated for the construction of an outer harbor, as embodied in your proposed Harbor Bill. I am instructed to point out that this county will receive no benefit from tho construction of the proposed works. The. produce from this district is sent away and supplies obtained through boats calling at tho several bays on the coast. A certain amount of stock is certainly sent to Gisborne for freezing, but the frozen meat is delivered to the largo boats by lighters, and will continue to be

delivered in that way even if an outside harbor were constructed. Besides, it - is certain that in the very

near future freezing works will be built hero, and tho driving of stock to Gisborne will thou practically cease. As reported in the papers, it appears to be the intention to put the onus of collecting the harbor rate O'* the locad bodies whose districts constitute the harbor district, and making the separate bodies responsible for the collection, any amounts uncollected having to be made up from tho goueral revenue. My Council will resist to the utmost any pro-

posal of this kind. A largo part of this county is held by natives, from whom tho Council is now quite unable to collect the local rates; and it is not likely that the Council will readily agree to a proposal which throws on them the duty of collecting a harbor rate from these people, and making good anv deficiency which they may fail to collect. This district has now paid harbor rates for over 20 years, to provide for the very large expenditure already incurred in works at Gisborne, which it is admitted have not been a success; and the Council now naturally object to being made a party to the carrying out of other and larger works, which, for anything they know, may fail equally with those already carried out. Nor should it bo forgotten that this Council has never had a representative on the Harbor Board. When about

height years ago the rate on this county was suddenly, and the Council thinks improperly, increased about fourfold, the Council had no representative on the Board to object to the imposition. lam to say, in conclusion, that this district is now suffering under sufficient disabilities. It already pays harbor rates for works which have been, at .any rate, comparativelv a failure. A large part of this county is as yet not opened up, and does not contribute to the local revenue. The legitimate claims of the county for Government assistance have been persistently ignored in favor of the more favored, though no more important, districts in other parts of the colony, the result being that it is with extreme difficulty that the Council can meet the very pressing requirements of the. settlers for bare access to their holdings, it being found impossible in many cases to provide even this. Under the circumstances, my Council consider it their absolute duty to resist any proposal to make the district liable for the cost of a scheme which they do not desire, which they are not satisfied would give any useful result, and from which, even if successful, they would derive no commensurate benefit.”

A petition to Parliament is also being prepared on behalf of the AVaiapu ratepayers.