MR WAKEFIELD ON THE MILFORD HARBOUR BILL.

Temuka Leader, Volume 2, Issue 111, 8 January 1879, Page 2

MR WAKEFIELD ON THE MILFORD HARBOUR BILL.

On Saturday evening last Mr E. Wakeheld, M.11.K. for Heraldiue, addressed a meeting of bis constituents in the Volunteer Hall, Temuka. On the motion of Mr Talbot, seconded by Mr Haylmrst, Dr Earner took the Chair. The weather had been unpromising during the earlier hours of the evening, and at first it seemed as if the attendance would be very small Indeed. There were scarcely forty persons in the room when Mr Wakefield commenced his address, but a very short time afterwards the hall was crowded. Mr Wakefield was listened to attentively throughout, and towards the conclusion of his address was frequently and loudly applauded. His speech on the general politics of the country was so fully reported in the ‘ Timaru Herald ’ that it would serve no useful purpose to reproduce it in our columns. Uis remarks on most other matter®, and bis

answers to queries are also given will) sufficient fulness by our contemporary. The following fuller report of that portion of his address which related to Milford Harbour will, however, be acceptable to many of our readers. Speaking of this subject Mr Wakellekl said :

Among other local matters is one that must particularly interest you. I refer to the i Milford Harbour Bill. It is a curious thing that subjects of legislation seem to go in Hocks like wild ducks. The year before last every man in the House had a Harbour Bill to bring forward. This year no one seemed to care for Harbour Bills, but there seemed to be a mania for High School Bills. I . was the only member who bad a Harbour Bill this year. Well, I got this Bill road a second time, and it was referred to the Waste Lands Committee. Up to this point the Bill had met with no opposition, a'though a great many members bad spoken of it in the House. In the Waste Lands Committee, however, it encountered an unexpected opposition, and was partknilarly opposed by the member for Timaru. lino ho took was the most extraordinary I ever heard of. It is usual when a Bill is referred to a Committee to be reported upon for the Committee to invite the member in charge to sit at the meeting, and offer any information concerning it that ho may possess, fttlio reason -for this is obvious, I receivcono such invitation, and I know nothing of what had been done in Committee until one day in the House I heard the Chairman beg to report that the Committee had been through the Bill, and recommend that it passed with certain amendments. I found that Cue proposed amendments rendered the Bill worthless, and I at once rose and said that the proceedings of the Committee were must unfair, inasmuchas I had never been consulted, and moved that the Bill should be re-committed. This was opposed, but the motion was carried. The next day I waited on the Committee, and the first question I asked was why they had struck out the clause reserving the foreshore. They told me very politely that the reason for depriving the Harbour Board of the foreshore was that the people of South Canterbury built their houses of concrete, and they would require the shingle of this foreshore for the purpose.. (Laughter.) I was perfectly thunderstruck. ‘TMover'lieard such a thing in my life. I asked whence the Committee had got such information, and I believe they said that Mr Turnbull, the Member for Timaru, bad told them so. I told the Committee that there were one hundred and ninety miles of such shingle, and that the concrete-building community might take what they would from the store, audit would be restored by the first southerly gale. Mr Bollestou corroborated my assertions. lie said there never had been an instance, and probably never would be, when a load of shingle would be taken from the Milford Lagoon spit for building concrete bouses. The Chairman said that they had been grossly misled, and the clause was goodnaturedly restored to the Bill. Eventually the Bill was passed without any alteration except that the harbour should only bo made provided Sir John Cootie's report he favourable. Mr Whitaker told mo he was going to oppose my Bill, and Sir Robert Douglas told me the same. W hen I sat down at the Committee’s table 1 saw that I had fallen among thieves. I did my best, however, and succeeded in gaining the sympathy of the House. The Harbours Bill provides that no reserves of land shall be made in aid of harbour works until plans and estimates shall have been prepared by a competent engineer. Well, we bad our plans and cs- | tinialos prepared by a competent engineer, Mr Hardy Johnston. I fought hard for the reserve—l never had a tougher light in my life—but they took the reserve out of the Bill, and left it as before. Other parties I withdrew their opposition, and I succeeded .u carrying the Bill (lirough the House. I (Cheers.) Then 1 bad to appear before tbo | Legislative Council, where 1 met some of (be j best men in the country, and was subjected i to a killing cross-examination. I bad (o draw | plans of Hie place, and explain everything in | connection with the Lagoon. In the Council Committee the Bill was amended so as to work in with the General Harbours Bill then before the House. 1 did wind. I could to assist the Government in getting the ITarj hours .Bill pa-sod, and next day the Milford Hill was road and passed. It provides for the appointment of a Harbour Board in Temuka, to consist of nine members who are io have power under the Harbours Act to | make Milford Harbour. Due ' provision is I made for the whole of the foreshore of the I Lagoon being granted to (hem, and borrowing powers to the extent of £20,00(1. Under the Harbours Act the Board may issue debentures to raise any sum they need, laking care that they do not run too deeply into debt. The Bill is sufficient for the present, it organises the Harbour Board, and will enable them to proceed if Sir John Cootie’s report bo favourable. If, however, he says that the proposal is a mistake, and that Mr* Johnston is wrong, the Harbour cannot be made under this Bill. But if that be favourable 1 believe wo shall see this harbour made with the public funds of the Colony, as are other heavy works. Mr Whitaker one day moving about refusing grants of land for harbours, the Government said they quite agreed with him. lat once said they ought not to make so premature a statement since they had themselves employed one of the mqst em merit engineers to report upon this harbour. [The Premier said there wore exceptions, and Milford was one among them. If Sir John Coode’s report be favourable, as I expect it to be, Government will provide funds for carrying on the works, and I have the strongest hope of seeing Milford Harbour successfully carried out. The Colonial Secretary told me that Sir John Goode had intimated to him, as indeed, we ourselves understood from him when he was down here, that he had some uneasiness about the liieght of the bank to the southward,- but probably this could be set right by artificial works. I have the strongest belief that Sir John Goode’s report, when it arrives, will be found favourable. You will remember that prior to the beginning of the session it was found necessary to employ an engineer to obtain a number of data to send to Sir John Coode to enable him to frame his report. It was clceidcd to employ Mr Johnston to get those data, and to forward them as early as possible. We had no means, and it was expected that about L3OO would be required for this work, but we agreed that we must have it clone, even though we had to pay the money out of our own pockets. In due course the data were sent to the Government, and idso the engineer’s account, L 250. This, I am satisfied, was a most reasonable charge, as the work was a very extensive . one. The Harbour Committee wrote to me, asking me to get the Government to pay Mr Johnston’s bill. How Ido not like asking a Government for money or any other favours ; that kind of thing I scrupulously keep clear of. yNvas perfectly ready to pay my share of these expenses, and I knew that the people here would have raised the money in a quarter of an hour. -But I wished to see the Milford Harbour recognized as a public work, and it was on that ground that I opened negotiations with Sir George Grey as to Government taking over this liability. He told mo at once that the Government was not liable. 1 then urged that there was no instance in the Colony of a harbour having been begun by private enterprise except this j one. ’Timaru had been granted T/2000, which j

was paid to b’ir .John CWc for u pi report that were afterwards rejecte George Grey said be must see the Tr( We went togol her. Mr Ballancc sho head. He said ho had no money for tl pose, and Government was not at all li: showed that the Harbour Board bad i mediate funds, and that if Governmet not pay the Bill the settlers must out b : own pockets. After a little convet they accepted the liability, and paid tinThis recognition of the public charaef the work is of greater importance to us! mere saving of the paltry sum of ' (Cheers.) *