The Daily News. FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 1901. THE HARBOUR BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 186, 16 August 1901, Page 2

The Daily News. FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 1901. THE HARBOUR BOARD.

Although it ia several months since the general election of members of the Harbour Boaid, the Board can hardly yet be said to have settled down to terious business. A great deal—far too much—time has been wasted in | bickering and useless discussion. This has been caused largely by the chairman lending himself to promote strife, instead cf sternly insisting on members of the Board devoting themselves to the business chey are elected to transact. The disgraceful proceedings in connection with the question of the Government nominees will ever remain a monument of the chairman's unfitness for the responsible position in which he is placed. We trust, to-day, to see a full meeting of the Board, and that it will settle down tot earnest work. Thereismuch to be done,and one of the first things is to stop the wickr i waste of the Board's funds in connection with the sand pump. We have so often pointed cut the utter failure of this piece of machinery, that we need not dwell on it again further than to any that never, in the whole history of the Board, has money been so unprofitably squandered as on this worse than useless affair. Another most important matter is to endeavour to come to something like a reasonable understanding with the railway and shipping autbori ties. For a long time past the-e has been almost a state of war betwovn the Harheur Board and Railway Department, and the interests of shippers have Buffered in consequence. This is a state of affairs for which there is no excuse, as the interests of the Harbour Board, the Railway and the shipping which visit the port are identical. The Harbour Bard and the Railway Department are both dealing with public money, and should make the pub'icl convenience the first consideration. The great works being carried out by the Railway Department show that, it is alive to the necessities of the future, and unless the HBrbour Board responds by heartily se ending these efforts by improving the shipping facilities much tho expenditure by the railway will be was*ej. Instead of the H-<rb uv Board doing this, tbe members of that body have refused to meet the railway in a reasonable manner, ''"he policy of the Harbour Board should be to popularise the port as much as possible, We feel sure that advantage has be j n taken of tbe absence of Mr. Newton King by one section of the Board to work their own ends. His return should give the party of progress a solid majority, and we hope it will be used for the good of tbe whole district by bringing about a better state of affiirs than is now existing. The coming season w : ll see a very large increase of trade, and unless something is done there is every! probability of a blork taking pi ce. The value of the port has been shown in a marked manner durina the stormy weather of the winter just passing nv«y. Although shfppirg has heen delayed in all directions, no delay or 'rouble has taken place at Motoroa, j and the trade for the midwinter month | whs a record for the port. The exact course to follow is of course hard to in- 1 dicate, but it seems to us t'lai a start might be made by appointing a committee of the Harbour Board to confer with the Railway authorities, tbe representatives of the Shipping Companies, and the leading importers and ox-! porters. In this way the Board would J arrive at a concensus af opinion on the

subject of what is best to be doDe to promote the welfare cf all concerned,! and could then decide on how best to give effect to tbe suggestions made. A Board with a revenue so elastic that it can afford to throw away from five to six thousand pounds in an expensive fad should bs able to make the poit the most convenient and attractive of any in the celony.