The Daily News. FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 1903. HARBOUR IMPROVEMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 81, 3 April 1903, Page 2

The Daily News. FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 1903. HARBOUR IMPROVEMENTS.

An exceedingly interesting letter appears in our columns to-day from the pen of Mr A. Standisb, setting out a scheme for the improvement of the harbour without entailing any additional cost to the ratepayers. The late hour at which the letter came to hand, and the importance of the subject, prevents our doing justice to the sub-j jeet in this issue; but we cannot refrain | from asking our readers to give the matter their most careful attestion I Mr Standisb's scheme is evidently most J carefully thought out, and though, at firs': sight, increasing ihe loan fionv £200,000 to £300,000, will be repugnant to the ratepayers, it will be seen j that Mr Standish shows very clearly that the burden will not only be very materially decreased, but that for some years it will be possible to do without the rate altogether. People everywhere throughout the harbour district ar* now generally agreed on the advisability of improving the harbour, but the difficulty has been to find the funds without increasing the already heavy I burden of the ratepayer. Mr Standish's proposal appears to get over the difficulty, and is worthy of very careful consideration. There may be slight modifications possible, but these are details which can be dealt with later on. Of the general principles of the scheme there is much to be said in its favour, and Mr Standish's pesition and long connection with public affairs, his known interest in everything pertaining to the general welfare of the district in which he has a large stake and is a large ratepayer, entitles his scheme to be considered very carefully before rejecting it. It certainly appears to place within our reach, at an early date, the means to prosecute the much needed improvements to the harbour,