The Daily News. FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 1903. HARBOUR LEAGUE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 99, 24 April 1903, Page 2

The Daily News. FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 1903. HARBOUR LEAGUE.

A meeting of those proposing to forn ft harbour league is to be h?ld thiafternoon, and the meeting is oiie of tL< most; important hold for foroe time. There is a general feeling thai thi time hag come for something to be done in the matter of extending the break water acd improving the harbour acc:mm'odation, and unless some hkg k done soon the opportunity of making this a first-class p irt will he loet, an' tnsde which should corns here diverted into other channels. The matter of harbour improvement and the encouragement cf trade and establishment of industries do not receive enough at'ention from the peopie of this district, matters being taken far too easily. Sh u!d it unfortunately happn that r slump took place in the prica of diiry poduce serious trouble would ensue because we have practically all ouregge in one basket. The bican industry is being allowed to suff r because the farmers cannot agree to run it solpfy oti co-operative line?. The poultry industry is being allowed to languish for w.ir,t of hearty support, and the question of direct trade with Syduey, which m>de quite a spluttor a short time bick, appears to have completely died out. Mr Standish's harbour im-

provement scheme instead of being ;aksn up atid cordially supported, h,;s hsd a good deal of cold w.»ter thrown upon it, yet, beyond assertion, no one has shown that it is impracticable, and tho treatment thus I tecemd ig uot very encouraging. Mr Srandish has bean told it has been 1 brought forward at an inopportune time, and that he should have waited for the Harbour Board to bring down their scheme. We disagree with this en irely, and say that Mr Standish has rendered a great service to the district and the Harbour Board by bringing 'down such a well thought out scheme. His scheme has in it all the elements of sound finance, and at the same time is the only scheme so far suggested which reduces the burden of the ratepiyers, and also makes provision to carry out the improvement of the harbour in a thorough and effec'ive manner. All the other sugges'iics which have been made eithur do not

iv)-.:Bse the ratepayer from any of his burdeD, or increase thtm. The frrmatioD of a league for the improvement of t'le harbour will afford an opportunity of discussing any proposals which hvive been, or may be, brought forward, nut i'B chief <v o rk will doubtless lie in educating the public on the eaormun! advantages which will follow tbeeatab-j lishment of a complete, well-equipped | hsrbour at the breakwater. The hearty i manotr in which the proponal to form ' a league was taken up shows how generally the need of some such organisation 1 was frit, and we frel sure, if the coutrol of the league is placed in the h.nds of capable business men, it will become the most successful institution in Taranaki.