East Coast Committee.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 253, 6 October 1884, Page 2

East Coast Committee.

[Own Correspondent.] Wellinoton, October 6. The report of the Joint Committee on East Coast grievances, which is very lengthy, says :—The committee finds that the district is, and has long been placed at great disadvantage as compared with most other districts in the colony, owing to the almost total absence of any expenditure from public funds upon public works within its limits. It has been made clear to the committee that no larger sum than £40,000 of general Government money has in all been expended anywhere on the East Coast in public works since 1870, while, on the other hand, the receipts from Customs duties collected at Gisborne (which comprehend only a portion of the duties received by Government from the East Coast though collected at other ports) amount to £120,000 during the last few years. The report concludes as follows :— The committee would, therefore, recommend that such steps as can be taken at once should be taken without loss of time. The petition prays for an endowment from Government lands for its harbor, and it appears to your committee that this is a most reaasonable request, seeing that such endowments have been liberally granted throughout the colony to localities enjoying already facilities from railways and roads, which are unknown on the East Coast. The committee is, moreover of opinion that a good case has been made out for further aiding the construction of the harbor by a money grant of £40,000 from the public funds to expedite its construction, and lessen the pressure of the harbor rale upon the district. With regard to arterial roads, all of which seem to have been surveyed and marked out, your com mitt.e is of opinion that their construction should at once be proceeded with, and is confident that the facilities afforded by harbor and road expenditure would lead to an early development of the district. The committee also recommend that postal and telegraph I communication should at once be established through the district. I