Visit of the Hon. Mr Ballance.

Little Un, Volume 1, Issue 60, 16 February 1885, Page 5 (Supplement)

Visit of the Hon. Mr Ballance.

The Hon. Mr Ballance, Kative Minister arrived in Tauranga, in the Grovt. s.s. Hinemoa at an early hour on Satuaday inornmg. During the day the following deputations waited upon the Hon. the Kative Minister, at the Govirnment Buildings to hring under his notice vaiious matters afieeting the district : — Messrs Louch, Bodell, Gray, and Commons, on behalf of the Barbour Hredging Committee asked for assistance tcvsaids di( dging the el annel at the narrows, the deputation stated that £1500 was required, and that if the G-overnment would guarantee £1000 the inhahitants would frubscribe the remaining £500. Mr Ballance saidhe had no doubt that the Government would aceede to the request, if the urgent necessity for this work could be shown. H e reccomended thcm to form a Harbour Board. Messrs Ward, Snodgrass, and Burrows, on behalf of the 1 auranga Rifle Association then waited upon hina with reference to the decisioii cf G overnment to reniovo the targets. Mr Ballance instructed Segt. Cahill not to remove them v ithout further orders from the Government. Judge Milson, managing director of the N. Z . Manure and Chemical Company, invited the Hon. gentleman to visit the works. Agreed to visit the works at 2 p.m. on Saturday last. He also requested that the s.s." Stella be instructed to lift the moorings at "White Island. Beferred to the Minister of Marines. As agent for the Tauranga-Eotorua Railway Company, Mr H. DeBourbel asked the Government for a further guarentee of 2£ per ccnt. for 3 years, as he beleived this would enable them to obtain the necessary capital to pro-

ceed with operations. Mr Ballance said this was impossible asthe Government had granted them enough already and further said that in his opinioi. the giving the debentures to the contractor to dispose of was " an etxraordinary mode of proceedure." Mr Moss respectfully requested that a commissoner should sit to determine the ownership of the Te Aute block. The Hon. the Kative Minister promised to endeavor to have the matter decided. The Borough Council then waited on Mr Ballance with reference to the j Boi;ough reserves which in accordance [ with an act passed last year vesting ! any Borough with one-tenth its area i for reserves, they asked could not the I Government grant land outside the Borough, as there are only forty-nine acies available withm its boundries Mr Ballance said that the request could not be accededto, but he didnot see any objection to the Borough liaving th i forty-nine acres, unless the Government might require some portion of it for building purposes. Ihey further requested that the Native hostlery be removed to that | piece ofland mar Mr Bodell' s stock- ; yard, as the natfv es were in the habit of encamping on this piece of land, fhej also asked that Mangonui should not be sold as it was the only available spot for obtaining metal for the roads. Granted. They also requested that the Government should acquire a block of 14000 acres of waste land for special settlement. His Worship the Mayor said that if Mr Ballance could have this clone he would coufer an everlasting blessing upon Tauranga. The Hon gentleman said he would do all m his power to acquire this land.