The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, October 28, 1909. CONSTITUTION OF HARBOUR BOARDS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 500, 28 October 1909, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, October 28, 1909. CONSTITUTION OF HARBOUR BOARDS.

Much interest centres in the probable contents of the Harbour Boards Act Amendment Bill, which it is expected will be introduced into Parliament shortly by the Minister in charge of .the Marine Department (the Hon. J. A. Millar). The Bill is expected to contain radical changes in respect to the method of electing members of Harbour Boards. The hope has been expressed by more than one. member of the House during the course ol the Address-iu-Reply debate that the Parliamentary franchise or “ one man one vote ” system will be introduced in regard to the method of election. So fur the actual provisions of the Bill to be brought down have not been divulged, but the Wanganui Herald's special Parliamentary correspondent informs his paper that lobby gossip indicates some important changes may be expected. The shipowners have been persistently advocating better representation than they now have, and it is understood provision is to be made in the ne® Bill to give it to them. The Government will continue to appoint its representatives, but local bodies’ representation will be amended, a wider sphere of interests being taken into consideration. The payers of dues will, it is understood, become a thing of the past, aud with them will disappear the system of voting by proxy. While the Parliamentary franchise is desired by some members of the House with regard to the election of the Harbour Board representatives, it is st itod that the system of election ptovided for in the new Bill will lie based on the local bodies’ method of voting. The question of agricultural representation is understood to be a point on which members are not of an united opinion. In the case of the Auckland Harbour Board, the Waitemata County Council is likely to be given the right of representation, but it is on this question that the Bill is likely to arouse most contention, back-block members avowing their intention to persist iu a provision being made for country representation iu the provinces where Harbour Boards are established.