The Daily News SATURDAY, SEPTEMPBER 19.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 228, 19 September 1908, Page 2

The Daily News SATURDAY, SEPTEMPBER 19.

AX lU, AIA'ISKI) iluVli. *' «lo ijlil U 111»\V- Ir j 11, . .. , n.. p' '"' ''" 1u,,: •*'-» 1n <i on 1,1,. Ij.nv ,' ""V" 1 . Huh ron-r.uul.mo,.'. 1 1 l'- ' l! g "i [lie ifai'h;H' J.UlpiMVi'! Mll - lMh We do Ivll:»w UlaL it , s . ■" iw " r,i ""'K. Ml.l Liii' itm!in*-r »(.( ° "".-'''Uilainnis . 1 Ule ,11,.11 ■ M aeled as spokesmen ;ir ,;*i oL u , | U . upon' u Tr U "' y uon ' called *vit!l v' ,1 l ] l .'° l " l ' llUS If tlo:.. wiUi .1 uny delicate sulijui-L. We rtz^ uu 'VH u '' av " ,i,! t, r ■ thc e ivat bank lii.lL !'•'» !«■;. loiigut lo reconcile (ho conlPcllln' inr'i U,tlll ;r <, r" L,d ™«> - ». Ik's could thus early lend n,,,,,. acnes m it course oi action tcndim.' i„ 11 "(Ji'ii Hie old wounds. Vet that "win w hut mi,, spokesman, „„ doub[ with 11,* u '"t "1 niteminns. deliberatclv s.-t hi,,,.

| --fir u> (in. Tiio debatable r 1 ; 1 . | ' I was introduced i uto lhis SJ|( , iHi| ;!''' 'oilvinced, liave the .Mulin-si-iiirni !' 1 ."'embers «f Lite deputation, \, l ' l«.«-..v..i-, must 1.,, 'till cijuaJly responsible. | !llt W||V !. . s " ''""gnUulalions, anyhow? \\'|,v u'n 1 "l' I 1 "'" 1 ' 1 bllsille.S "•'"•'"■selves to an action that •> open to tho gravest mixconslnietion I,' f ' e v H " U !;r ''""Wors? Tim uphill battle .New Pivmouth has had to tl»hi to win tlic eonlidence of the coiintrv | Ims lie™ hard enough i„ all eouscieiu-'e to have caused men to pause and consider what effect this expression 0 f X«»v lyinouth s gratification might liave on those whose support of the Hill lias been hut recently secured. The whole proceeding was premature, as the chairman Ot tho Harbor Board very properly L out, and it would have been I time enough to exuberate when the ernScinl fignt had been won at the ballotbox.

'lhere was a very serious mistake made by tho deputation, moreover, and one that we hasien, on behalf ui Unpeople of New Plymouth, to correct. U was a matter of genuine regret to us that tile spokesmen of the deputation iihould have so pointedly ignored the \aliant service rendered b}' the count ,, v members, Messrs. Maxwell, Marx, and Hughes, the former especially, to facilitate the ultimate passing of the humsui'o. 1 hough we are sure it was nol *0 meant, it was a gratuitous insult to Mr. Maxwell particularly, and, speaking with a knowledge of public feeling in this district, we hasten to remove this impression. One speaker, evidently with but an imperfect knowledge of the facts, went to the trouble of reminding thosr present that there were members of tin

Board present who had been won round I WSSAXSSIS.Tcured only after they had be™ cuumUl umdul V)'"'" p " int wl,i( ' h '"'"'V 'I- " ' "I- -Not It word was said about the ="r;;r member, (he greatest credit is ,l„e nn'i 0 il, foj- valuable assistance in f, the BUI, but for the thankless part iv ook in clleclinir ~ compromise m it], 1 r m "" ll ""' S ' HJl'l nimlies—a (Jru Uou^llsild^eo' 11 ''' '«» 'hrou-i,

•In this mailer we iVnl «... .. > wi.hom c^in:/^;^::; ■Mui",g4 JJoard members. No one know- »•" do Hie t -n„, am „ lljU m--\lr. King and \] ■ .expend..,! in framing tn,. B Im,J l'J'i'pusais and in drvisiiw n' uis i<. ovurcoinu the t .] ult n counteivd. X'iiese two gentlemen more' uXe w i , r I<ll r t !' <!vcry iirst i ° lulge the leading part taken b,- .Mr Maxwell in the training and elaboi- = " ltrit,;l e measure, and *,ibse. i> i* its interests in l.iilument. A complete master of evciy feature and clause, with a ihor BiilM, kll M Vl ''' lg n. alS ° -" f 11,0 Lill all. Maxwells, assistance in the interests of the Empowering Hili i„ WVf. lington was of inestimable benefit, and. in a very great degree, was responsible (ol the ultimate sate passage of the "■ensure. In so s aying, we ,'eel we can honestly do so without in the sii-hle-t degree under-estimating the .."uaHy valuable services rendered bv Mcssis onnett. King, and Marx in Wellin-lo i and all the members of the in' then own districts. \\ e aieed onlv ret'"r l eaders to another column of this* paper where it will be found that Mr. Kin > with that fairness and generositv that marks his nature, stated that "'had it not been for Mr. Maxwell and .Mr. Marx, the Bill would not have been passed.'

) If is most iinfortiinale that the circumstances should have arisen to necessitate the words we led constrained lo pen ill I lie interest of justice, fairplay and of the success of the poll. Hut kk have before now seen the almost finished work of months rendered futile by iHad vised though well-meant, actions and words. Wlmt we desire to emphasise is that the people of Xew l'|,mouth thoroughly appreciate the great assistance rendered to the New l'l\moitlli harbor by the whole of the members of the country, with the notable eeptioa of Mr. dames Thomson. Wo have always hail, not a little admiration for the public services of the member from N'gaire, but when he descends to aspersing the motives and honesty of a fellow-member his criticism is beneath' contempt and unworthy of his own reputation as a public man of long standing. Without the country members' assistance in framing conditions to meet the I objections raised by the country ratepayers, the liill would have had little hope of becoming laiw: but even had ii safely negotiated Parliament, defeat at the poll would have been a foregone eonelusion. The country party, therefore, arc entitled to every credit for their public-spirited action; instead of being subjected to the invidious comparison implied, unintentionally, of course, In completely ignoring them while specili •- ally thanking other members of the Board.

lh'cre should never have been permitted the semblance of an utterance calcula ted to airain divide the combined in terests of town ami country. Kiu-li, I'rcjii its own point m' view, Inns Ik'ou working for (Ik- lu-st interests <.f tlio port mill tin- raiepaycrs, a nd. having agreed on a policy ujmhi which boi'li coufd work in harmony for tin- common interests. nothing .-should have lieeii Joiie I lull would engender any feeling ot' |v>i'ntnii'iil. We need not puisne [ln- Milljivt any further. other than to say thai, while we appreciate ihe spirit whL-h prompted tin* deputation, we ]>eliev«» Ili tsi' wlio look part in the deputation will ilia! iu»-it' lime had not been -ivi ii I'i.r consideration. Mad such be=.n

j done, we do not believe anything wonM I have occurred to which exception could he taken. Although was taken j by some nieinlters or liie JSoaril to many of 111" statements made, we are assured i tll.ll I hey 'will be treated as (lie hastily- | e\pn i-d views of indi\idiiaU. and not as the true retleet ion of public opinion, f All that we hope is iliaf on any future I occu-ion of a like character |ironioters of ssui-li a moveiuent will give full weight to the intricacies of the subject tiiev arc dealing with, and also give the speakers time lo marshal their facts. The unwisdom of introducing debatable and contentious inatter on such ail occasion would then be manifest, and calm rellcution would ensure the recognition of merit that, on the spur of I lie moment, may be overlooked, lo the detriment of a very worthy cause. We have purposely refrained from publishing, in our report id' the proceedings, the debatable matter introduced, for reasons that will be obvious.