The Daily News SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 1901. OPUNAKE HARBOUR DISTRICT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 136, 29 June 1901, Page 2

The Daily News SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 1901. OPUNAKE HARBOUR DISTRICT.

A. mqtement i« on foot at Opusake which, while of the greatest importance . to the Opunake distr'ct, is of cjn iderable in tarest to the whole of the Tura Daki harbour dinrict. We refer to the efforts being made to pomote a Bill cons'ituting a harbmr district at Opunake. Ob Thursday morning we published the full text of the propose Bill, which appears to have been v#tj carefully drawn and in every way at ad likable mnasure for the pur pose of developing tho pot art district of Opunak*. The Bill is en titled " The Opunake Hai bour Boarc Act, 1901," and contains stven tten clauses. It constitutes th( port of Opunake a harbour und> r th< Harbours Act of 1878 and its amend ment", lb further constitutes ai Opunako Harbour District, the boun daries of which are set out in the firsi schedule of the Bill and divides thesaic district into three ridings, to be callec Oape, Opu*ake and Waimate Ridings A Harbour Boird is also constituted under the Bill to consist of seven mem here, three of whom are to be electee by the Opuaake Riding and two eaci by the other two ridings, Aftei making provision for the election of th« members of the Board and o'her matters clause 8 gives the Beard power tc borrow a sum not exceeding £25,000 at a rite not,exceeding six p?r cent, for ihe cocstruction and maintenance ol harbour works, on the security of the rents, profits and dues chargeable and ri-caverab e by the Boird. Clause 8 further provides fcr empowering thi Board to strike a rate no' exceeding one half-penny in the £ on a'l rateable property in th 3 harbour district as additional seem ity for the loin. Clauss 10 proridegfor the taking of apoll of the ratepayers, each of whom has one vote only, authoris'Dg tbe raising of any lean, A number of clauses follow containing provisions regarding the raising of tuch loan, a peculiar one being that providing for r'ifferential rating in the several iidings. Provision is also m'de for acquiring the license of the Opunake Wharf Company and fo'eshore rights and erdowments. The clmse of the Bill that will probably excite m st interest outside the proposed Opun&ke Harbjur D'strict is clu se 15, which protects the lands situated in the Opunake Harbour District from inclusion in any future loan raised by the New Plymouth Harbour Board. In fact it Fesuies them against any further liabilities on account of the New Plymouth harbour. We do not know that sny fault is to be found with this, as it certainly would be unfair to impose upon the ratepajers of Opunoke aDy further burden on account of the New Plymouth harbour. We are therefore inclined to give our Opunake friend* all tbe afsistance in our power to get 'hdr Bi'l passed in to law. There is only one point wherein we think 'li i Bill requir, s a slight am-;idnaent, a*d that is in the boundaries. Tbebou> daiyon the Haw<ra sid« should go a iirtie further towards Hnvera, as id is now dessiib d a na> row slip is l<-ft bstwien tho boundary of the Op'jnake Harbour District and the Stratford C.-unty boundary, and in would be be ter t> take the Stratford O unly boundary and follow the Mingiwbero stream to the Kaupofeo* ui. ar;d thence to the s j a, This would only affect a narrow strip of country, but prove mora convenient than the propo ed bomtdary. Chen on the nerth the bounJary app jar s to come-too near New Plymouth, It

is proposed to take the Wuiw. ranui stream as the boundary on the north. This brings the t oundsry a few mi) s thin i-iiie of Warea. We do noi kiiow the feeling of the sstolers there, but should suggest the Waitaha—a stretm two miles this sidi if Raho'u —as a more suitable boundary. Ws merely suogeat this to the promoter.. of the | Bill as lelikely to cieite opposition 1 o Che Bill in New Plymouth, nd . < a reasonable onu no: in any hostile spin . Tha n is ou« th it 3houM be e.-irefu ly gone into, and tie in'er<sts of the set lera fully considered. We uoderci and that whei in Opunake the Ho . Hall-Jones, who is Minis er of Ma'inr, approv.d of iliti principle of the 811, and Mr. Sym-s, member for Egmont, will probab'.i t'.ke c'rargo of it on behalf of Mr Smith,