Greymonth Harbor Board Affairs.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 June 1921, Page 4

Greymonth Harbor Board Affairs.

GREY ARGUS COMMENT.

THE RATING QUESTION

We noted lately that the Government insisted that the Greymouth Harbor Hoard owed it something like £60,000 as to which it was demanded there

' hnuld be provision made for payment, j We iiad thought all indebtedness had been met already. Yet \vc note that the Board are now getting out a map of I the new harbour district. What does this portend? No explanation is ofp feral by the Board. What light will j that map throw on the increased charges? Are the charges not proving as fully equal to all requirements L as promised? Are they not meeting obligations in the very complete manner the public were only recently assured they would ? We hope they are be- \ cause the effect of the charges, coupled , with the slump in trade, renders the i rating area as a whole far less able to . meet the imposition of harbour rates ; than it would he otherwise. We note 5 that at last mooting the Secretary to , the Treasury gave his opinion that the , Board should issue debentures for its indebtedness .to the Government, and that “the Crown's proportion of the special rate be utilised to meet debt for interest and sinking fund.” The Board merely received this letter, and did not take the public into their confidence as to what is projected. Is not the Board getting the extra charges imposed - as wharfages recently . to help the maintaining the, port? .Surely, Mr McVilly, after commandeering the wharf and the Grey-Brunner railway, in order to enhance the Railway Department’s revenue, is not now also taking the wharfage money as well. No doubt the shipping companies are feeling the pinch, hut presumably they are paying up, and therefore the Board should not need to he looking now to the ratepayers. We think the Board should make it clear to the public- that they have held to their offices to some purpose. The recent change was hailed by several members as a great gain for the district and considering the Government annexed the wharf and railway, it is time to look for ' the said gain to the district. It would he a sorry gain indeed, that consisted merely of saddling the new harbour area with a rate that the new charges were designed to obviate. The port under the old scale of charges was able , to maintain itself some few years ago, * and jt is for the Board to demonstrate

the reasons if it is unable to do so in the existing circumstances. j Tiie Board assured the public that, | while the Government stipulated that j power to rate should be provided folia the latest legislation relative to the Board, there was really no likelihood of anv rate being required. We do not, of course, infer that the Hoard has the slightest idea of striking any rate, but merely note one or two suggestive intimations made at last meeting. We do so only in order that the Board may take the earliest opportunity to s.t any possible apprehensions at rest. Certainly, if those apprehensions are not groundless then, we fancy the Board has a rough row to hoe in future.