The Daily News, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1903 HARBOUR BOARD REPRESENTATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 36, 10 February 1903, Page 2

The Daily News, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1903 HARBOUR BOARD REPRESENTATION.

In connection with the claim for additioaal representation at tbe southern I end of the Harbour District, the following figures fhow that th« district hi'S vory liit'e complain of, ns >n both Stratford and Ingkwood di-trie's the numbar of ratepayers far exceeds tbe numb r in ihe f/awera dis'ricl' The following are the number of ratepayers in each division : Number of District Ratepayers New Plymouth Borough .. 779 Clifton .. .. ~ 723 Taranaki South (Opunake) .. 625 Taranski North (Inglewood) 1678 Stratford .. .. .. 1583 Hawera .. .. ~ 1217 The ratepayers of the Stratford, Inglawood, and New Plymouth districts ara admittedly friendly to the harbour, and together they total 4040 ratepayers and return threi members, or a member to every 1346 ratepayers. The Hawa-a, Opuaako, arid Clifton-Waitara districts are more or lofs oppo-ed to the harbiur, and tagether they to ! al 2565 ratepayers i and they return thrf-e members, or a' member to every 855 ratepayets. So. that the opponents of the harbour, in-! stead of being undtr-rppresented and | out-vot«d, as Mr Parlane and the! Eltham Farmers' Union would have us believe, are really very much ovfrrepresented. Then, rs regards trade, we fitid on icquiry that, instead of sending their tiada to New Plymouth to help make the port a success, a large proportion of the imports and exports are shipped through Paten, nnd they are certainly not entitled to representation on tbe New Plymouth Board on that account. In fact, connec'ed as they are with the port of New Plymouth by rail, there is no doubt the future of the port lies largely in the hands of Stratford and Inglewood, and any alteration in the rrpresenta'ion must be in the direction of giving them ! a greater say than they have hitherto bad.