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Poverty Bay Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1346, 23 August 1883, Page 2

On Tuesday night last, at the Harbour Hoard meeting Member Lewis presented a petition, signed, in the main, By parlies most interested in the matter, against the disproportionate and excessive tariff about to be levied upon all imported malt liquors. It will be remembered that we first called attention to this matter in onr issue of Saturday, August 11 th. We congratulate the petitioners on obtaining the energetic services of Mem her Lewis in this matter. He fulfilled his obligations in a most able manner and supported the petition with sound and forcible argument, which proved conclusive and for which he deserves the thanks, not alone the petitioners, but of the public. It still remained with Member I’ownley to clearly and succinctly define the duty of the Board in the matter of these tariffs. One member apparently thought he sat there as a paternal judge of what wasfgood for the public stomach and seemed determined that they should either take hi« prescriptions or pav dearly for it It seemed a remote I act to this Member that he occupied a seat there as a public servant, and not as a judge or master, and that, it was his duty to study the wants and convenience of the ratepayers and not that of his immediate friends or himself. This point was clearly pointed out by Member Townley in his usual terse manner, as well as the fact that the public had a perfect right to make any objection to the proposed tariff, which «as really published for the purpose of seeing if any objection would be raised against it and thut the Board was bound to consider such objections when brought before it. We should like to see more gentlemen of Member Lewis’s and Townley’s stamp in office.