VISIT OF HON MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND MARINE TO TE AROHA.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 256, 18 April 1888, Page 2

VISIT OF HON MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND MARINE TO TE AROHA.

Ar briefly referred to in our last issue, on Friday afternoon List lion G. Fisher, Minister of Marine nnd Education arrived at Te Arolin from Thames ; having stayed a short while at Paeroa en route, being accompanied to Te Aroha from the latter place by Messrs W. G. Nieholli, (Chairman Ohinemnri County Council), J. Phillips, junr.. and — Blair. The Hon gentleman put up at the Club Hotel, and dining the evening was waited upon by Messrs Dolnon, I Fur/.er, Gavin, and Ilott, members of Te Aroha Town Board. The interview [ re the following taking place at the office of the Aroha and Ohinkmuri News. Thames Harbour Board :— Mr Dobson acted as spokesman, and on behalf of thedepulation protested against the exfended jurisdiction granted about a yenr ago to Tnames Il.irbour Board, wheieby they wc-p practically granted control of the up country rivers. Mr "Dnlwon sat 1 : -- The residents in this locality considered the granting of ih'» ineron^M] powers to the Thames H irhonr Board a very 'great injustice, giving the Boarl, ns it did, power to tax very heavily the up country districts, whilst the benefits they had derived from the Board were, if any, very trifling indeed. It miyht be urged the Board did not wish to impose burdens on the ic-'ldents in the Upper Thames, but if the recent Proclamation were not rescinded they had it in their power to do «o at uny time. Tt wis a well known fact the Thames folk had been for years post, ambitious of constructing extensive harbour works at Thames ; and so long as they had control over the up districts the resident therein might at any time be made liable. The Thames Harbour Board had done very little if anything to improve the upper portions of the rirer. The other members of the deputation supported the arguments Mr Dobson put forward, and other strong facts stated in favour of the Proclamation being withdrawn. Mr Ilott in the course of hi? remarks drew attention to thf> fact, (as ihowing the residents in Uppc* Thames had nothing to thank Thames Harbour Board for) that it was entirely through private enterprise that the Waihou river had been snagged and made safe for navigation, the great work of snagging the river from Mata Mata to the •function having been undertaken by that enterprising colonist, Mr J. C. Firth, at ft cost of several thousand pounds, entirely borne by himself. Since getting the extended powers the deputation complained of, the Board had effected some slight repairs to Paeroa wharf, but this vras about all ; they had made no provision for a wharf at Te Aroluv, and went to no trouble or expense with respect to caiing for the rivers they now sought, to obtain jurisdiction over, so far as he (the speaker) was aware. Mr Hot* also said he regretted that a telegram he had received announcing that the Hon. Gentlemen would arrive at To I Aroha that afternoon had not reached him an hour or two earlier, as the Piako County Council had met at Te Aroha that day nnd only loft by the 1.55 p m train. Had he known a little earlier he could hnve informed the chairman and members, some of whom would no doubt hnve arranged to have remained in To Aroha till later in the dny and have interviewed him on the matter. However he (the speaker) could assure him that the County Council were quite one with them in the matter of protesting against the Thames Harbour Board beimr given control over the rivers in the Upper Thames, and the Council had some time ji»o communicated with Government protesting against such extension of poweif- being granted the Harbour Boari), nnd the Council were most desiious the Proclamation should be rescinded, ns it affected Piako rivers a well as the Waihou.

The Hon. Mr Fisher having heard the arguments adduced by the deputation in favour of their request that the Proclamation be rescinded, said : — The whole question had been very exhaustively discussed a day o;* two previously at the Thames ; when a deputation from the residents in Ohinemuri and other ! portions of the Upper Thames (including the Chairman of Ohinemnri County Council, etc.,) waited upon him with respect to this matter, and at that meeting the telegram lie had received from the Chairman of Te Aroha Town Board on the subject, and those authorising the Chairman of Ohinemuri County Council to represent Te Aroha Town Board were read ; and thereby the feelings and opinions of Te Aroha residents had full weight, although, as had been explained in the telegram referred to, owing to the I short notice they had received, etc., the members of thcTown Board wercunable to be present in person. The only intention in constituting the Thames Harbor Board must have been to enable them to construct ftfc Thames such wharves and jetties as were required ; it could never have been to give them jurisdiction over the whole Ilauraki gulf. It would be a great straining to give them jurisdiction all along the Waihou and other rivers. One of the principal objects of his visit was to statisfy himself as to the effect that would probably result from giving the Thames Board such powers as they sought. It would be an injustice to vessels that do not touch or require to call at Thames' to have to contribute to the Board's funds ; but there was the further danger to residents in the Upper Thames district, if the present state of things were allowed to continue, that they might by and bye be rated to cover monies expended by the Thames Board. The Board had raised and expended some £10,000 already for the benefit of Thames only, as the amounts spent atPaeroa and elsewhere along the rivers up country were so insignificent a* to be scarcely worthy of mention. When the settlement of this vexed question was first brought under his notice one difficulty that presented itself to his mind was whether Te Aroha, Paeroa, an! those districts within the estuary should be made liable for any portion of the debt that had been incurred, but on enquiring carefnlly into the matter lie found that the last money raised was some two years ago, and therefore the granting or cancelling ofthe Proclamation that it was now sought to have rescinded would not in any way affect the existing debt of the Harbour Board. Had the up country districts been within the boundaries* ofthe Harbour Board at the time their lebfc was incurred, ifc would of course have been a fatal objection to thrir now getting free,but under the existing circumstances, and after making most careful enquiry into the matter from all points, he was of opinion it would be quite right to have the Pro clamation withdrawn, and that doinur so would be no injustice to Thames Harbour Board whatever. He thought it was mn«t impolitic to have any industry hampered, such as was now the ca^o with respect to timber going out of , the river, by giving the Board power to l(»vv dil'"* thereon such as they now had. His own views were very clear on the matter, and he was decidedly of opinion the Proclamation should be withdrawn, ! as it appeared to him a most unjust thing k at settlers all along the banks of fie Waihou should be hampered and made liable to taxation, to assist works at Grahamstown or Shortland, receiving no benefit whatever in return. The straits of the Thames Board certainly did not justify them in making the up country settlers liable to be made to contribute. But he did not care to assume the whole responsibility of taking action in the matter upon himself but preferred laying the whole aff.iir before the Cabinet on his return to Wellington. As in all probability the Proclamation would however be withdrawn, he wanted the Counties of Ohinemuri and Piako, and Town Board of Te Aroha to assist him in proposing names for a representative Kiver Board, etc., as he thought the River Board should be a combined one ; probably seven would be a desirable number. He thought it right to inform the deputation that Messrs Whyte and Cad man had been very active in* their interests with respect to this matter ; Mr Whyte especially having been very pressing, wiring almost times without number to Government on the subject.