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Hokitika Guardian, 4 December 1923, Page 2

Ain Sl'KKlt is quoted above us giving good proof to support the exclusion of Westland County from the Greynmntli harbor district.. AA'hen willv-nilly AVestland was taken into the barber district, all sorts of statements were made that the’e would he no taxation. Air Steer was one ol the most optimistic witnesses on this point. Now ho changes ais views and makes thieats. Ihe revelations he makes hears suit exactly the evidence given by Hokitika witnesses at the- commissions as to.reasons why' the district should not. he attached to tli" Grey distiiet. Here the position as it would affect, the Grey harbor was foreseen. Westland witnesses knew the railwav would serve it better than the port, and plninlv said so. Since the line has been in operation, that- position has het'ti fully demonstrated. AA lint was predicted has come to puss, and the finding of the Commission has been (•loved by the position to he definitely in,- qiiifahlo. There was nothing paroiLin I about the local attitude. The people wore seeking to maintain rights which it is still incumbent upon tno public bodies of the district to strive for. The volume of traffic east and west has dcnimisi rated what little value ih" port of Grey is to Westland County and its interior towns—much of which li rrilorv is saddled already with taxation to pay for the Hokitika harbor. The iniquity of the Gre.v Harbor Commission should now he> revised without delay.

I u his comment quoted above, .Mr Nicer is credited with remarking that it was poor policy for Hokitika to assist the tunnel traffic to the detriment ol tin: port of Grey. Then he holds out his threat to impose taxation, to cover the loss which is obviously oveitaking the Grey harbor. As to the Hokitika attitude on the alternative proposition to pay a harbor rate to enjoy cheaper railway lieights, we should say that the latter was more preferable. Cheapri; haulage of goods to ready markets v i.'i help the district abend much faster than round about sea carriage hy wh'. h there is a limit to the commodities to be carried, and a serious delay in riamv peit arising from many causes which, even .Mr Steer has not. the power to control. If Mr Steer and those associated with him desiie to pit one town against the other, our northern friends will make a. grievous mistake. Both towns are happily enough situated to work out their own destiny without seeking to damage the other. Speaking of Hokitika, we «an say that by reason of the railway to Canterbury, it now lias opportunities for expansion it never has had before, and aiiealv it is; moving ahead buoyantly. There is a line feeling and a good spirit here as to the future of Westl.vi l, and tile folk arc too contented to worry about seeking any ill fortune for their neighbours. \Yc wish them well, and in return we desire to lie lott alone to work out our own destiny in a legitimate business wav.

Before closing the newspaper to view which has brought Mr .Steer into tinfriendly limelight he had s,.m-_riling to say in a brighter tone about Point Elizabeth port where a million or a million ami a half is forecasted as the pr« I aide expenditure in sight. If anything won l ■ affect the port of Grey detrimentally far, Mr Steer would say) surely it would he the closing of GioMuotr.ii to the larger boats. The town would go down "ith the port, and migra would set in to Point Elizabeth. Tile present waterfront, would fall info de-a.v fc> lack of use. and the town would shrink because so much of it depends on the vclumo of shipping. If -he erratic Greymouth Harbor Board seeks to do itself the most harm it can, next to opposing cheap railway freights, it should set about the Point Elizabeth sarbor. AVI ion that comes to pass, the port of Grey will he ion ext, a d :he town itself a village on tne —;\- •idc for the South Westland < \r-*«-s. Ur Steer can be so delightfully incut,ustent that it will not l.e sui]n ijiug vhat attitude he leads the Greymouth To riser Board to assume. With the vast and West Coast railway. Point lizabeth harbor has become n dream.

and tlio sooner our friends icn'iso tha jiosition, and make the b ? ;t use of the conveniences for traffic at hand, the better for nil concerned, natio.nl, provincial, and civic.