MEETING RE HARBOUR BILL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 233, 14 October 1901, Page 2

MEETING RE HARBOUR BILL.

* [Opunske Times.] Thbbb was a vry meagre attendance at the meeting called by the Cbasabe.' of Commeroo on Wednesday evening in the Town Hall to consider Mr Leslie R ynolda's report on tho Opunake Harbour. Mr J. Stewirt took the chair, and add the chamber wanted to try and push the Haibour Bill through this session, and although there was some clashing and opposicion they decided to go on with it, The Standing Orders of the House baAqt baen complied with, but they tiought the Standing Order* might be set on one side for them. This proved a mistake, as the Bill would bot re allowed to proceed unlesi plans and estimates accompanied it. . Toe chamber got Mr KeynolJs to make a re,pors on what could be dqn, 9 fqr and if the report ha,d b.een favourabjt) they would have gone on with the Bill, but on receiving the report and eketoh they i were staggered, as they did no" think any works of service coula be provided under For this report Mr Reynolds was to get £25, and it ha supplied plans h@ wag to, get another 425. The ohamber then decided to lay the matter before the public to decide whether it should be gone on with or not. The rep irt was re id, anc| a sketch of propped, works, shown on a man of the bav. I

Mr A, 0, Mills thought it would be as wtfll to put it to the meeting whether it was worth while going on or not, and not procuring plane. Mr Stewart said money was hard to get:. He was averse to the chamber taking any further liability on its own shoulders. Mr A. H. Moore said perhaps }t would be no harm if the. expressed itself as/ favourable to the amount in the Bill being inorea-ed, and tfcen the Bill oould be gone on with again next session. T.iere was another possibility, and that was tj go on with the Bill and drop out the money clauses. The money cljusis could then be introduced in an amending next session or at some future tiuce. The chamber tad o me to the conclusion that harbour works at Opu-i nake were not looked on with favour) from outside. There were alreidy three harbour* in Taranaki, and it bs came a question whether a fourth har bour for Taranaki would not meet wi h considerable opposition. He appro hended there would be grvat difficulty in gutting it, as the feel,in£ wa,s growstronger in favour of %w JHymomtb. Mr Stewart thought it w«uld be useless putting the B.j'l through, without any borrowing power, Mr Quy and \t they b»d in writing the instructions given to Mr Reynolds verbilly he would fen] indined not to pay him, Mr Reynolds had been titd planly that they wanted a proposal ti put a mole out as.far as £25,000 would go, and he came out with one for Of couroe they oou'd not say anything against the engineer's opinion, but they, must remember there was great divo.sifcy of opinion

atnoogss engineers, in th-se tircumßtince~ tboy ' w.vn justified in asserting t!ir<jr own opinio.-). As ons> inshani-'fi. Mi' RiiyrjoUis eslinm'-.edrft would cos 1; £BOOO to put a wharf up' connecting with tho outer mole. All he (Mr Guy) could say was he would like to get the job at half the money, In spite of Mr Reynold's opinion he was satisfied that a harbour could be made to accommodate a 200 ton ship for £25,000. He would treat Mr Reynolds and his opinion as one of the past and look forward with hope. I Mr Hil s propos9d that the Bill b-> • postponed to enable it to be put before setvlers to see if they agree to increasing the amount of the loan. Seconded by Mr Eoglefield and carried. The customary vote of thanks to the j chair terminated the meeting.