THE HARBOUR EMPOWERING BILL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 206, 26 September 1903, Page 2

THE HARBOUR EMPOWERING BILL.

Me. E. M. Smith, the immbar for Taranaki, returned home by the mail train on Fiklay evaniug. In the course of a co veisation with a representative of the Daily News, regarding the prob.'.ble fa'e of the Harbour Empowering Bill, he said, no stoue was being left unturned by the opponents of the measure. In fepite, however, of all their effete they had only succeeded in securing the names of 1500 parsons to the petitions againsi; the Bill, out of «ome 7000 ratepayers, exercising soma 9000 votes, Mr Maxwell is particularly hostile to the Bill, and spike strongly against the Government nominees (Messrs Ward and Pi ice) voting on a ques'ion atfeotitig the p issible imposi tion of a ra'e, ignoring the fact that he was making every passible use of Mr Hornby, of Manaia, who is also a Go varnment nominee, in opposing Ihe Bill. In spite of all this Mr is quite sanguine of a fuvourabl-3 r, port from the Local Bills Committee, and b.lievea if stonewalling tactics are not resorted to, that he will be able to get it through the House. There is, he sayp, a stroag feeling that this ib one of those questions which should be left to the people to decide, and that the House should not deprive the people of the right to eethle the question at. the baltoti

Asked to the progress of other Local Bills, Mr Smith speks very bitterly of the unfairness of the p.-esent system, which places private members Bills at such a disadvantage, Bills upon which there is practically no ditt'jierca of opinion being delayed until near the end of the session, Mr Smith saya that he will shortly have no less than four Bills to put through, which he considers ia a very great disadvantage, and gives i the Bills a worse chanca than their coming on at intervals. Me Smith has returned to New Plymouth to get some data regarding the harbour, and returns to Wellington on Monday morning. .