The Daily News. TUESDAY, APRIL 14. THE HARBOR QUESTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 98, 14 April 1908, Page 2

The Daily News. TUESDAY, APRIL 14. THE HARBOR QUESTION.

Doaliiig editorially witii the Opunake I meeting lu luirbor questions, ;i rqtort of wliich appeared in our issue I of Saturday, tlie llawera Slav expresses iueit' iu lull syoipaUiy with the ett'orU

ot tlio ( >j>iuia ku people to get improve*! j harbor accommodation. They have, ; says the Star, been battling heroically with the problem for very many years, but unfortunately they do not sunn to get much more forward with it. "It is unjust that they should be legally liabbto pay a rate for a harbor which is of little, if any., umc to them, while on the

other hand they can get no help for the improvements of a harbor which a moderate expenditure would make much more serviceable than it now is. We cannot, however, go to the length of agreeing that there is any prospect of success for a proposal lo create such a district as was spoken of at Wednesday's meeting. We take it that to get a district represented by a valuation of .1:2,0011,000 it would be necessary to include the whole of Egmont County,

the whole of the Waimate riding of the IJawera County, aud the whole of the Kaponga riding of the Eltliam County. That eveu to escape even .the original liability under the New Plymouth Act such an extensive district would be willing to subject itself to a farthing rate for a harbor at Opunake we cannot believe. Still less likely is it that it

would do so to escape the greatly lessened liability, the apparently nominal liability, provided for under the Bill now being promoted by the New Plymouth Board. Opunake can he made a much improved port, aud would be very useful for many purposes, but it is wise to realise that it lias its limitations, and not frighten oil friends by talk of borrowing .-£50,000. The Bill of last session should be promoted in Parliament at the earliest date possible, and Parliament should be asked to consider the position and possibilities of Opunake. When the matter of legislation was originally discussed at the New Plymouth Board there was a proposal submitted that a sum should be allocated for hni'lior improvement at Opunake, and though that suggestion received very short shrift we are not at all sure that it was not worth more consideration. Criticism took the form of implying that the proposal was intended as a sop. but it is capable of a more generous construction than that. A moderate expenditure would so improve Opunake harbor that it would be of considerable service to an important part of the New Plymouth harbor district, and the little extra liability necessary to permit of improvement being made "could be defended much more easily than the rating of the country around Opunake for New Plymouth harbor ex|H']iiliturc. We believe many m ratepayers even in the north would an I cepl this view, and as it is a mattei of business, not of sentiment, we cai scarcely doubt that people in the Opunake district would rather see improve meiits take place under the allspices ol (lie New Plymouth legislation than nol