HARBOUR BOARD BILL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 437, 17 September 1908, Page 2

HARBOUR BOARD BILL.

Thkkiv* is nothing ol importance to report in connection with the Foxlon Haibour Till, now before Parliament. Messrs. Hcnnessy and R. Moore proceeded to Wellington on Tuesday to further interview Mr. Stevens upon a'phase of the question which up to the present has not been brought to bear by the promoters. We refer to the “ Harbours Act, i M7O Amendment Act, iSS6 ” which provides for the dissolution oi certain Harbour Boards including Foxlon. Sections, reads : “All lands, tenements, goods, chattels, moneys, securities for money, and anything in action, and ail real and personal properly whatever, and all'rights and interests therein, which immediately beiore the date of the dissolution of a Board by vhtne of this Act were the property of or vested in or belonged to such Board, or to any person or persons on behalf of such Board, shall, on the date of the dissolution thereof, vest in Her Majesty the Osneen for the same estate and interest as the Board had therein respectively.” To the lay mind, the rendering of the last foregoing clause would mean that all revenues derived irem wharfages, etc., would be utilised for the purposes of keeping the channel and bar navigable ins ead of being appropriated for railway revenue purposes. The amending Act is pregnant with new suggestions and it is a matter for surprise that it has not been previously quoted. “Hansard” may also throw some light on the subject. We believe certain clauses of this Act should strengthen the arguments of the promoters in favour of the railway conceding the wharfages as asked for. We understand Mr Me,ore is dipping deeply into the legal aspect of the case.