The Daily News WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 322, 22 January 1908, Page 2

The Daily News WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22.

'J'll.Ke wllil lime -nilli.-il ill,. 1,11.111 i.,1 ;,,!,. •latiMi.al inioriiiauon uniiaineii j„ I|U . annual report ol i 1,,. > iKiiniiiui in inr lliirlu.r Kimi-,1 a, |,nliii.-1i..il j„ >allll,li\ - I -ue .. i( ii,„,i ~-„( ,„ ~.,,,. , K . eu ~,,„;,.„ | 'I llw in..inn•.uvnil.ii. .■i-i,1,.|„. 1 ."ii 1)ri | t . |j i - .11 l.io Ill,illy „, nil- !„„.( yt V . H 1 I'lyiiinuii,. riiiii wnii tin- ~,1-k i,l ili..M. I lii.-hiii.., whim should „ m „ „)„,.,. |, avL , j <k'.ii prm.deil i„r the iiauiral gru.vlh ~, in,. MMiwiii.. iiiiil:. i„ ;,„,| „.„„, lhi , wli.ul xueli excellent if.mi, should have xi'i-a atiaiued conveys ul iiseli a marked mimic i., the l,ii,,„c,s al.ilily ut i|„. i.uaidan.l its oliii-u--. It would ainU)sl -win a, if th.. figures referred t<) ~i l(| nruwii into lite to act a* a mainline lo iik' province i„,l„ it- duly in cuiiipleii,,,. I iln- iiaibur in order tu ei.|K' with tlu> ever: | gi"winy trade ami tu mako \>,v |'|,. ! I'l'iiiliinmeiipuiioistiipiiieiit. Xhcrcmarkanle expansion of the imports and wnort, ol •iaimniki is the natural out - rami- ul tin- progress ami prosperity ol I H»- .Utriet. There has heel, no .spas"'win- leaps and hounds of trade, but a steady, yei rapid increase. it is there- "•'"'."" u,t, ''« I'Oini'idciiee that at this nartnularjuncture, when ihc question ol ii lew loan ha, to he faced, the stati*. '"■» K'lat.ng to the working of the port " ,' "" '"""'•"'■'ivol.v point a manifest i'»'n,.a.s we I as convey „ distinct call "anion. Jhe time has arrived when ere ran Ik. no halt hetween two opin- '" -• I ii're is now H„. opportunity for »,»"•'' «}l interested in „J. wl . lrß J e „', I ■«' province Imvi- waited, some patiently, o hers with great anxiety yet unfalto'r- "'? ' » l >"-' ultimate verdict of the latejM vers.

» 11-8-<>eral »■«,. lt lllkl ., Vlli|ls lo >.'k, ligures interesting, fortunately " deiliug Willi those relating to tli'e ■''""' tlll ' ri '. ls "u m-ed to clothe them with attractive verbiage. They hlH . ak tor n.enHelvcs, and „„•„, ~ reiiiarkaldv Milking narrative that redounds to the I 1 ™ 1 , l " Ti "-'"'aki. Vear 1,.v year the total tonnage of ,„ j(tl ~M l, .*i n Ull , pur hu, increased. The table shows *at in the earlier year, the upward I'viH was comparatively gradual, but dun,,..,, the last decade the annual rise ivxcroi lor the year I'M)', grew amazingly, thus |, 0I „ <)I.(jOCp ions hav- the iigui s now mounted to close upon -'B*. ™ 'oils. Jmporis sin,,,- an inerca'se "I nearly 4IIJKIU ton*, and exports llimu [tons. «|„|e ,|„, „,„„„,. ~,„„ this tm(| . ([ ui.- ,-iwii from .CL'ollil to ,eI3.«0(l. o„ I >as iluetiiated considerably during the , last -: venteen years, reaching it s lowest ; l">»> i" H11t.3, when it «► only C 2!tiili ;is a. u unst .(.7)11,0 in Istll. ['ominatclv «'r me last two years (here has been '., reco>..T V . the income fur 11107 from that simi-.e reaching close u,,,,,, trjoOO. Tlie Kieal advance which has taken place in the value ol property in the district furI nisli-i another evidence of the rapid ••noes l'aranaki has been taken during ""' I'' 4 seve » .vrai's. In 11100 the onelarl.img rate produced approximately t.>inil. while a similar rate for 1(M)> reaped nearly double that amount. With Mich an appreciable augmentation „f income the Hoard has been aide to "he greatly improved shelter for ships tnul'"K to the port, and. what k of greater eonscpience. i„ allow vessels of larger tonnige than formerly to call lure. X„f only have dredging o|*rations been persistently continued, but th e wharf itsell has l>een enlarged, anil the breakwater extended by :n;<| ~.,., .„ ~ , o| .,| cost i..r the latt.-r work ol about e|7,IKH, to .lite. This ha- all been accomplished out ol revenue, anil the policy pursued in tins matter should go fa r t,', convince ' -ttg flolfTC sufficient fuu,ls ,„ complete ""' l " ,rll " r «"«I fiwld.' the best asset possessed by Taranaki to be utilised to its iitiiKMt extent.

ul jig existing „i portions of the disl let antagonistic to the harbor rate !rn', i", '!" "'"'"'b-ing conviction' tnoighoi.l tlic province in , aV or of comI'le nig the work which has proved of such incalculable benefit to all elates of "<■ community. Jt is quit,. eonceiv- ' *• that ratepayers „, ,(„. ,„„,.,,„„ 1,0,1 "' ""■ district may regard the que.uoa of a loan for the extension of the harbor from a different point of view to that taken by those in its i,„. mediate vicinity. N,,,- ( . an we do other, wise than respect their convictions. \t the same time even those who have oppose,, iurjher borrowing cannot withjusti«. be charged with aught besides the pardonable offence of studying their own pockets. Their attitude docs not take the shape 01 hostility l 0 ~ wurk of |lti ,. "} and great benefit as such, but rather against being (■<„,.,.,( ,„ iIR , R ,. ls( , t11 ,,j burdens, ict it is absolutely necessary in he interests „f ,he w | Jole province that advantage should be taken of the opportunity afforded by the expiry of the present loan t 0 !,„rrow a further ••""I wherewith to enable the Board to ">!«' with th,. trunk- for many rears | u ™mc to increase the depth of water, «'"l make the harbor as complete and sate ar, is within the powers of mortem science. It would seem, therefore, that .he only problem |„ he solved is that wind! resolves itself j uto u 1( , framing ol a scheme which will be acceptable o the ratepayers as a whole. It would be unreasonable to suppose that any mortal man, or any higher power, could produce a scheme not open to more or le-s objections. \\\, ,„.,,., ,„„,.. ever, safely trust to the good sense of 1|1( ' < immiil.v to give sensible heed to any sound proposal for attaining ,| mt which is ,o essential to our progress and pro-.p..,-,ty.

The proposals Mibmitid io the Jioard by Mr .Newton King in June |., st um . designed to di-arm opposition to further borrnuMiu. ~,,,1 |,. l( | , ljr . . ( . h| , m| , , ki(|| . i(i _ <cplcd there is ..very rea-on ( „ b ,.|j ( . V( , ttuit notwithstanding the additional loan proposed the burden on the settlers would have been lightened instead of being increased. Provision was made for dilierential rating in (]„. rtl . v «.ral district i" . t,,; ' J '°; ll : l ,' s ««» «» «« equitable W. Whe her thee propolis would lilVi ; " "bimaiely u ,,.epi • „„, U ''•"'■ ll" : a.v. Ihm ,h.a opposition "'" '"•"'"«'-t"d in lhe remoter districts lis undeniable. Still wc „,.,., „,„, „„,. I ,-li.iH «e ,-ver lie. without conlidencf in a satisi,,et„ ry sointjo,, of the dillicultv. i>»d 10-day ,t would seem as if that eo'u- '"''■"'■', "'ere not misplaced, for we understand (hat a scheme ha* now been propounded which linds favor with near.V all, il not all, the members of the loa*l. In (]„. m ;linit fu „ uws (J)( , Jj)|c , ol Mr Kings scheme, fail, there are certain variations which. w l,i|, in „,„,„, selves ol much importance, do not alicct t he mam ipiestion, ami relate chiellv to .11"' "ichlence of rating, while safeguardmg the i,,tere,U of the rnfopavers in a t.n..,,!,.,- ,| lilt .1un.1.l :,,,,„•;,] to their sense

."'*' "''" iijtiiiii-cji.lv prm-iuV lor ii 1.-111(1,0(10 loin, wherewith lo pay "11 lli<- balance 0 f the present ,d\ ,„'r '•'•ni: loan ( tuo.ooii), leaving citKLOoo iirmltilili' tor harbor completion The f!' 110 ""; """< »t 'educing ti,', , iU , throughout ihe district, and even in \-,.„. I'lymmilli itself ratepayer nodnubt will ', ;' , '•"U-i'l.'i-i.1.1.- .- n-iinn. x,.,. must i( bo forgotten thai the whole him »0.,1, l i.„t bo r«-.,,iiw.,l for, , ,i, llf ,' s „ Hwt the Hoard would have ample're senile in expend „i, w ,„. k ]| ., vin „ ( . ()r Uh object Hfi' very biisin c .„-|ihe p ( ,li,. v „( providing the host possible fai-iliti,.; f or «-«rki.iK th, port ami developing the trade «i the di,triel. \\'c hoartiU wolcmnc the -i.|i,.i„,.. and fool i-oitlhlcnt (ha, '■'" '■') « not far distant when tlu >l-M'i .|lH«tl, lU .11 hur1,,,,. ~.\t,.„si„n , v ,|| I" 1 l-clogalcd in lii,i„ r v.

THE DRY SPELL. j it is many yeill> allld- l.li'all.lKl '■•'.|'-- ricaccd such ii spell ol dry Heather as) ll is now experiencing. J•■ i(ii> marks tin- twenty-second day shut nt «iUi any nun—the .slight dr.ui-.' lii.i. --el ■" "" u lew hums iau- on lh,u>uay night i.-, luiiilly worth mentioning, laranaki. as a gcnur.il thing, can uardly stand tinfc weeks continued dry weather. Unless vain comes quickly, the outlook will he anything but ciicerliil. '!«■( elicits ol tue "Uiought 1 ' are being more .-seriously felt in South Xaranaki than in the northern portion, though things here are unite had enough. In South Taranaki, the grass, usually so verdant at this time of Hie year, is withering and burning up, and. as is only to lie expeeted, the. milk viehls are diminishing at n rapid rate. Nearer the mountain, however, the feed is more plentiful, the dew being heavier in (hose p'rl" Ih.ui lower down. We are. ol course, not singular in <mr misfortune. Ju faet. we seem to lie faring mueh belter than other parts of the Dominion, in so far as the effects of nvy weather is concerned. Still, the position is a serious I one for our farmers. It is to he sinI ,crclv hoped that Captain Kdwni s prediction of ruin at mi early date will lie Inllillcd.