The Daily NEWS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10. THE HARBOR BOARD ELECTIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 14, 10 February 1909, Page 2

The Daily NEWS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10. THE HARBOR BOARD ELECTIONS.

As we. anticipated lust week, tin- only •two contested seats for the Uurbor Board lit Monday's election, resulted in the defeat 0 f the, sitting members, and the strengthening 0 r tins Board. The comparatively heavy polls recorded in each of tins wards showed that a very considerable amount of interest is evinced by country ratepayers in. the development of Tarauaki's harbor—an interest, moreover, that is kindly, and not, as <o a more or less extent had been the case for some years, merely tolerant. The return of .Mr. C. A. Wilkinson and Mr. I (Joseph McUluggagc is, after all, but the natural corollary of the- lale loan poil, KvJioii tlif ratepayers, by an overwhelming majority, allirmed the policy of progress, with which these two gentlemen

prominently identified themselves. In ii the KTUiam wan), at the moment, there ! 1 was really no eonllicting question of t policy upon which the ratepayers could i express a preference for a 'candidate, , lint there was at the same time an out- 1 .standing issue, in that Mr. Marx ami s I Mr. Wilkinson had pre.viou.-lv, .some t I months ago, been rival candidates for , I that, ollice. On that, occasion Mr. Wil- | kiiison stood as a supporter of the liar- , b»v loan proposals, the opposition forces being represented by Mr. Marx, who I WO7l. Since his election. Mr. Marx, part- ' SI ly because a number of important amendments for which he contended were made in the Hill, and parti v. we (believe, because of bis more int'iiuaio knowledge of the harbor, gained from I close personal investigation, has become | a supporter of the harbor extension proB posals. "While Mr. Marx cannot be I blamed for the stand taken—indeed lie i is to he praised—it would !>:■ idle to 1 deny that the change in front, however ijusfilied, did not advance his prospects of re-election. On the other hand. Mr. . Wilkinson's opinions of harbor matters have boon consistent throughout. -Mr. Marx has the satisfaction of knowing, liowo.'er. that during his term of office he has worthily represented the ratepayers, whose interests he has always most carefully guarded. While his opposition at the outset was in some respect- inexplicable none doubted his sincerity and honest conviction. It i•iio rellecition on Mr. Marx's ability or integrity, however, to say that he has been defeated by a man whose qualifications for a seat on the Harbor Board are more in accord with the responsible duties of the position. Mr. Wilkinson is a keen business man—one of the keenest in Tara.naki—whose knowledge of trade and commerce is secondary to , none in the province. As the ultimate goal of harbor development is to secure cheaper and freer transit for our trade, so it is the object of up-to-date merchants to hasten the reaching of that goal. Men of the experience aTid caliSirv of Mr. Wilkinson are. therefore, better equipped by reason of their calling to manage, the affnirs of the port to that end. in the realisation of which the consumers and producers of the province ■must benefit equally with the merchant. Practically all that ha- been said regarding the Eltham election applies I with equal force to that of Stratford. •The contest, however, provided in a modified way an issue between the rival factions of opponents and supporters of the harbor schemes, Mr. Thomson, .notwithstanding that the loan poll gave g .him a clear mandate from his ratepayers to support tho proposals, refused to profit from the lesson, and continued to .make himself conspicuous bv obstrue•m .tive tactics that were as futile as they •were ill-advised. Mr. Thomson's opposition was uncompromising, inherent in 3ft «H his views on the harbor, to a prnsat porous future for which he could never & bring himself to subscribe. While, he * was honest (to himself) in his- eonsist- * c 7l t opposition, it was intolerable that % he should continue to represent, on the ® Hoard, views that were inconsistent * with those of :> great majority of his W constituents. Opposed by a successful |» -settler and business imr.i. and oue.umiv- ? over, who warnilv espoused harbor lie's velopinent in the' interests of the backf, block stl tiers, it was inevitable, not--2 withstanding Mr. Thomson's personal a* popularity, Ihat he should succumb on U the question of policy. Jn Mr. Alc-Clug-s gage the Stratford ward ratepayers »jj have a representative who. while jeal<Jf ouslv guarding their interests, will not * be lieierred by the short-sightedness of >fi a minority section from expediting the * development of the port. We regard * 'the new Hoard as one of the ablest that * lias ever been entrusted with the man- » agoiuciit of the harbor, and at no time * in the history of the post has there been f* 'greater need of capable business men at, * the head of affairs. With Mr. Wells, ¥ representing the Waimate riding, the JS* 'new members provide a trio that will £ 'vastly strengthen the deliberations and 'judgment of the Board during the enis 'suing two years.