TARANAKI HARBOR SCHEMES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 184, 25 July 1908, Page 6

TARANAKI HARBOR SCHEMES

BILLS BKl'Ol'.E THE HOUSE, Mil THOMSON OBJECTS TO PETITIONS.

At the New Plymouth Harbor Board meeting yesterday the chairman, Mr. J. B. (.'outlett, delivered his report upon the delegates' mission to Wellington to support the New Plymouth Harbor Empowering Bill which was now before the House. He stated that the time allowed for their representations was brief, owing to a couple of other matters having occupied t'iie time oi the committee, and less than two hours could be allowed in which the Board's fouY delegates and their engineer—live, on the one side—and three exponents from the Opunake end, had to place their views before the committee. The report of the committee would not be given until it hud considered the Opunake Harbor Bill next Wednesday, lie thought it was essential Unit the Board should send delegates to Wellington to oppose the passage of the Opunake Bill.

Several members endorsed this opinion.

Mr Thomson reckoned there had been enough expense already, and he could not see the force of sending delegates to Wellington again. "1 oppose the Bill in toto," he said. "If the Board must be represented at the Local Bills Committee wouldn't one delegate sufj flee? or was one wanted to prop up the other whilst he spoke?" Mr. Thomson continued: "I see by the papers, rightly or wrongly, that petitions in favor of the Bill have been presented to Parliament bearing 2000 odd signatures. We had your men round out way getting signatures, and they were telling all sorts of yarns and promising all sorts of things to get votes/' Mr, King said the petitions had nothing whatever to do with the Board. Mr. Thomson: I suppose the Board members sent them round, didn't they? Mr. King: No. Mr. Thomson: It was your man that came round.

Mr. King: I can't help that. Mr. Thomson: But you ought to Mr. King (jokingly): There are so many of my men, you know. I can't keep them under control. Mr. Thomson: Those signatures ought to'be withdrawn. Mr. Cbnnett said that as chairman of the Board he knew nothing ol the petition, although 'he has signed it as a ratepayer. It had been presented to Parliament by Mr. Okey, M.P.

Mr. Thomson said the Board should denounce-* the signatures, and get the petitions withdrawn.

The chairman: Mr. Thomson would muzzle the ratepayers, it seems! Mr Hughes said that 2000 signatures had gone down in favor of the Bill. There had been 600 signatures to jiati—tions against the Bill,-an4--tlnrv~inight have upset tf« £OO. - The chairman: Those people withdrew their opposition, hut the others don't seem to have withdrawn their support. Mr. Marx recognised the necessity for sending delegates to Wellington. He did not think he was taking np a contradictory position. He had agreed to support the Bill under certain eond* tions, and lie could see that it would be wrong not to oppose the clause. Mr. Thomson supposed he must ac- i cept the explanation, but "it was terribly thin," and he could not believe the members of the Board had hjid northing to do with the petitions. Mr. Maxwell said that he as an Opunake man would resent the New Plymouth Board interfering with Opunake, and he did not think t'liis Board wished to do that. But there were two clauses in the proposed Opunake Hill which attempted to dictate to this Board what it should do with the endowments. He moved: "That whilst the Board iias no desire to interfere in any way with the endeavor on the part of Opunake to obtain a harbor district and powers to carry out harbor improvements, this Board must oppose the passage of clauses 12 ami 13 of the Opunake Harbor Bill, as they are in direct opposition to the Bill "introduced by this Board." The clauses referred to were read as follows:—(l2)"Nothing herein contained shall prejudice or affect the right of the New Plymouth Harbor Board to. continue to levy rates over the area comprised in the Harbor District hereby constituted, for the purpose of providing for payment of interest and sinking fund on the existing loan of €200,000 borrowed by the New Plymouth Harbor Board" under the provisions of the New Plymouth Harbor Board Ordinance Act, 187/5. Amcnument Act, 1577, or on so much of anv future loan or loans as the New Plymouth Harbor Board may hereafter raise lor the purpose of paying iff the balance of the existing loan of £200,000, but for no other purpose whatever shall the New Plymouth Harbor Board make or levy rates over ttie said district or anv part .thereof, and, further, the district shall, except for the purposes in this clause mentioned hereafter be excluded from the second schedule in and to the New Plymouth Harbor Board Ordinance, 1875, Amendment Act, 1877"; (13) "Until the repayment of the said £200,000 or any balance thereof and the interest thereon the land fund accruing or to accrue to the New Plymouth Harbor Board shall not, except for the purpose of repaying the said £200,000 or balance thereof and the interest thereon as aforesaid be pledged as security for any futqre loan raised or contemplated by the New Plymouth Harfbor Board, and, further, tne whoie of the land fund leld held by o? accruing or to accrue to the New Plymouth Harbor Board shall be appropriated by that Board for the purpose of providing interest and sinking fund on the said £200,000 or any balance thereof or any future loan raised for the purpose of paying off the safe, and for no other purpose whatever." Mr. Huglies seconded the motion, which was carried, Mr. Thomson alone -dissenting, whilst Mr. Hine refrained from voting. Mr. Marx declined nomination as one of the delegates, owing to pressure *i his time, and Messrs Connett and Maxwell were appointed. ' LAND REVENUE. Mr. King informed the Board that he had just received the,figures showing the amount of hind revenue derivable this year. In the Bill the estimate was £4500. but he himself had given his view that the amount would lie close on £SOOO. This was found to-be the cas.>. The Crown land rents for the year had amounted to f1».544, uf which 'the Board received 25 per cent., or £4!>(il. The whole of this was not yet available, owing to sonic- of the lands having been let under the Swamp Act, which gave the land rent free for four years. The term was expiring in several cases now. and this revenue would gradually fall in to the Board,

Mr. Thomson Vought up some matter concerning the merits of the Board's Bill now before the House, but was ruled out of order. He then complained Wiat he was being muzzled, whilst members in favor of the Bill were allowed to air their opinions and iiive statistics. The chairman said that ilr. King had just presented figures, certainly, but they should have come before the Hoard in correspondence had they been available earlier. Hut. as Mr. King had explained, the figures had only just come to hand.