The Guardian AND EVENING STAR, With which is incorporated “The West Coast Times.” TUESDAY. APRIL 5th. 1921. THE GREYMOUTH HARBOUR DISTRICT.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 April 1921, Page 2

The Guardian AND EVENING STAR, With which is incorporated “The West Coast Times.” TUESDAY. APRIL sth. 1921. THE GREYMOUTH HARBOUR DISTRICT.

Thk result oi the Grey mouth ll«u----bor Commission has found expression in a quiet and unostentatious way. The finding is conveyed to the public pm medium of the- Government Gazette wherein the boundaries of the new district are fixed definitely. Tile notice embraces all the area possible from Inaiigahua in the north to the \\ aiho river in the south. So far as t portion of Westland Country, and the Boroughs 1 of Hokitika and Ross are concerned, , an unique result is arrived at—the portions referred to are in two Harlior districts —Hokitikja and Greymouth—and the unfortunate residents are to be saddled with two sets of harbor liabilities. This on the face of it appears to he very unfair and inequitable; as also does the decision to include a portion of the southern territory of Westland, i s far south as the AVaiho river, in the Greymouth Harbour district. Thor: will be a special grievance in Westland under these two heads and no doubt a storm of protest at Hie decision. Already a protest has been made that the Commission which determin'd the question did not act within the four corners of its order of reference, and to that extent nullified the main direction of its powers of enquiry. The -c----medy to overcome this shortcoming Joes not appear to be very clear, beyond an appeal to Parliament by peti ion to remedy a wrong done by legislation In - any case legislation will be required to give effect to the previous enactment, and to formulate powers i f action for the new board over the extended arc-a, and this legislation seems to offer the opportunity to seek for the remedial amendments it is desirable to obtain. Among others matters for protest will be, also, the desirability to, secure differential rating for the more remote places of the district. While if is very unfair to see the 'districts beyond the railway or within other h-irbo-nr district rated at a sum equal vo iho other centres within immediate touch of the Greymouth harbor, it is certainly to be expected a differential rate should be levied to minimise the lack of community of interest and this ‘mould > he pressed for in the new legislation, j Therfc should be. also, a distinct limit j to the operation of the act as affecting the new rating area. The com pietion of the East and West Coast rail- j way is going to recast the whole si’.ua- ! tion—and the Government- knows When Mr Massey was here lately he spoke of this district being aid- when linked up with the South Island r.ihviy system of being in a position to rad l m ber to Dunedin. Of what material iso then will be the port of Greymouth to this district? Tt ,-an he but fraction d. and to involve this southern area m the system of niaintenanne will be very unfair. The slight interest there will ho in the maintenance of the northern port, can well he met by the wharfage charges ,seeing that the main reason for the expensive cost of file Gniymouf i

I,arbor is bound up with the coal u[loi't trade in which this district has no j concern whatever. Indeed, looking U> this latter outstanding fact even in re- j lation to present conditions, one can marvel only at Fie present decision of the commission which seems to have ignored the principal reason for the existence of the expensive Greymouth harIxrur, past present and future— its coal trade. This fact suggests that the time is at hand for the Government to act at Grevmoiith as it '-ms done at Westport, and take over the harbor altogether as a State run concern, lhe Government is spending lavishly now to secure coal at any price, and the country as a whole has to bear th» burden of’the cost. So with the coal ports of the "Coast, the bulk of the coal is exported to the North Island and elsewhere primarily for transport and industrial concerns in the North Island and the country as a whole should bear the burden of the cost of the, upkeep if the coal ports. If it is right to do SO at Westport it is certainly rig.it to do so at Greymouth. whence coal from the State mines is exported. The whole position requires to he regarded nationally. and it is on these lines the people should agitate for relief from the unfair impost now being placed upon them.