Rather Over-rated.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 115, 15 August 1885, Page 6

Rather Over-rated.

From Napier, New Zealand, we (says an Australian paper) gather that that peaceful and pastoral city has successfully floated a loan of £300,000 for contemplated harbour works. Before rushing into the money market for this large sum the Napierites had not done badly in the way of borrowing. Napier is a town of some 5,000 inhabitants, and its municipality, what with loans and bank overdrafts, hag already had to superimpose a i ate of something like two shillings in the pound on the annual rateable value, Then the Harbour Board, several years ago, borrowed £70,000 for the purpose of improving the " harbour, J> which is simply the outlet of a huge swamp. This sum of £70,000. was duly expended under the direc tion of Mr Carruthers, C.E.,and a Mr Weber, and when it was expended Sir John Coode, the eminent engineer, was besought to look upon the work and bless it. Sir John is a very courteous, polished gentleman, and he did not exactly tell the good people of Napier that they had literally chucked their money (or, strictly speaking, other people's money), into the sea ; but he rather thought that the town of Napier had better be shifted bodily farther south, where a deep-water harbour could easily be procured. This, however, did not suit the visws of people who possessed vested interests in that town. The Harbour Board accordingly advertised for competitive designs from engineers for the improvement of the port. The designs were submitted to a board of eminent engineers in London These enginears unhesitatingly allotted the first prize to the I designs and plans of Mr Culcheth, the wellknown Victorian engineer ; but when the Board saw those plans and designs they concluded to have none of them. So Mr Culcheth was given the cold shoulder, and the services of a Mr John Goodall, the engineer of the Timaru Harbour Board, were called in, But the question arose as te funds. The Napier Board had already borrowed and expended £70,000 in works which had not been very successful (some people even Baid they were very much the reverse). Tho sole security for this loan was a large swamp, situated between Napier and Awatoto, which swamp will, when drained and consolidated into terra firma, be some day from its position very valuable, but which at present labours under the disadvantage of being under water, and although of some imporbance as the breeding ! place of the wild duck, does not bring a very large revenne. In fact, it is an open secret that this self same swamp was cavilled at for years by the Government auditor, who could not see upon what the large valuation was based. However,theloanwasobtainedand expended, and the revenue of the Board barely suffices to meet ourrent expenditure. To pay the interest on the new' loan of £300,000, power has been obtained from Parliament to levy a special rate over the counties of Haxvke's Bay, Waipaira, and a portion of the county of Wairoa. Resi dents in these happy regions have already the privileges of paying road board rates, of paying county council rates, in some instances of paying municipal rate?, and in others paying town board taxes. On the top of all these comes tie Harbour Board rate. In other words, the good folk of Napier and Hawke's Bay are very much over rated.

The fashionable girl is now accompanied by a bull pup when -walking on the streets. The big dogs have had their day.