MR WILLIAM BOOTH AND THE HARBOUR BOARD.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1671, 28 April 1884, Page 2

MR WILLIAM BOOTH AND THE HARBOUR BOARD.

To tlie Editor of the Standard, Sir,—Your readers may not perhaps fully understand the raison d'etre of the late "lively sceno" at the Wairarapa Wost County Council. Permit me to explain it. By the " Wellington Harbour Boards Act 1878" one member of that Board is to returned by the Wairarapa, in order that our great' wool shipping interest may be looked after, and only fair charts levied. This member to be returned by nomination of the two County Councils. Hithertoo Mr Krull has been our representative. That gentleman being a merchant and largely interested in station property ho has always given us every satisfaction. _ This year Mr Krull did not seek re-eleolior,, it appears; although I was informod, on very good authority, that he intended again standing, What was my surprise then, at the meeting before last of the West County Council, to hear Mr Bunny suddenly propose Mr Booth as. our representative, and Mr McGregor (the chairman of the East County) support bim, and then to see Mr Booth duly elected—l alone objecting,

~ 1 did not at first spe through the whole of this busiuess, but I soon, did, and I gave ■ notice of motion to ibis effect:—Firstly, that •14 days' notice be given the Council by any persons, in future, seeking election to the Sarbor Board, so that the public may know who is standing; and secondly, was Mr Booth qualified to sit? . By the Wellington Harbor Boards Act 1878, clause 43, it is provided, inter alia, that any member entering into a contract of I any kind with the Board, is disqualified to sit.

Now, Mr Booth's private busiuess greatly depends upon the export of his timber to Lyttelton, He has, I believe, a timber wharf in Wellington and a timber wharf in-Lytlel-ton, and it struck me that Mr Booth went into the Harbor Board in order to look after the interests of his own business, and that it .was impossible for him to do this without entering into a contract of some kind with the Board's officials,—either verbally or by deed. ; Mr Bunny proposed Iff Booth, as he desired to gain his political support at the coming election, Mr McGregor, the chairman of the East County supported him, because he was a brother saw-miller \ although I will say this for Mr McGregor, that I do not believe he exports timber to Lyttelton, Mr Booth stands alone in this respect, his business beins; quite an exception to the other saw mills of the district, which depend upon a legitimate local demand. Whereas Mr Booth has to compete in the Lyttelton market, with the cheap sea freight from Auckland.' In order to do this the Government strike a low railway taiiff for timber, and it will be no .iced that although Major Atkinson raised the rates upon all other traffio, quite lately," he left Mr Booth's limber alone, (I think this quite for if the railway rate's arc to be raised, as a government measure, let us have no favoritism. Besides, the Government ought not to make use of the railway at this end, to injure Auckland's trade by the cheap sea route), And so layond this railway matter,Mr,

Boothseeksa place atthe Harbor Board to again further his own interests, and the ' plea will be" Benefit to the distriot," Sir, is it not shameful and disgraceful, that a man should first further his own interests for 5 the benefit of the district ? And our mem- g hers of Parliament have to bow down to the r voting power which this man holds in his hands. Itifl farther seen how readily Mr 1 Bnnny followed suit. Mr Booth's business S is fairly the outcome of this vicious policy | of public works and borrowed millions. It i is such men an Mi: Booth and Mr McGregor i who profit to all our injury, and these lire •» the men who Bupport Major Atkinson, in his borrowing policy, who in return tauntß \ the community at large with not being eco- j nomical., But the coils of this "borrowing policy"shali not extend to the demoralisation of the representation of this district either in Parliament or at the Wellington Harbour Board, without my raising my voice against \ it. Time it is for some one to speak, for i these County Councils are doing harm 5 instead of good, when they return such a ' man as Mr Booth to the Harbour Board, It is bad enough to have the wrong men in ' as County chairmen, Lot us try and keep the evil from going further. Let us try and J amalgamate these two Councils into one, but if they are not amalgamated they must ] be suspended. '■■''.--. i am, &c, ] Coleman Phillips. j Dry River, April 1884. ' P.S.-1 think it would have been far ( better if Mr Booth had left the chair when ! his own disqualification was being considered 1 And Ms seconding my motion touching his ' own disqualification, was nothing lesß than , cool assurance. ' [Wo are still of the opinion that the i portions'; of Mr; Coleman Phillip's ' letter which we have' printed in ( italics are "slanderous," but if Mr ] Coleman 'Phillips objects to this i term we will substitute the word ' " contemptible," Mr Coleman Phil- ] lips asks us to print his letter, and \ wo cannot well refuse to do so, but i it is certainly the meanest and most ' spiteful effusion that ever appeared ' in our columns, and we apologise to j our readers for forcing it on them i englobo. If Mr Coleman Phillips ] should succeed in destroying the 1 Wairarapa export timber trade, and ! throwing some hundreds of working • men out of employment he will tie- ' serve to be hooted out of tho dts- ' trict.—Ed. W.D.I \

(To the Editor.) Dear Sir,--In your columns on Saturday, you publish a letter signed. "A Committeeman," purporting to be a reply to mine of the 24th inst, But Sir, if you compare the two letters you will find that "A Committeeman" has not kept to facts, I did not say anything about taking money from the Flower Show, but suggested opening 1 a separate list. And again, I did not require poultry to be entered free, but said that the entrance money might ba reduced or the prize money increased. Last year the entrance fee was, " member, 2s; non-member 3s Gd," and " first prize, 7s Gd; second, 55." If the entrance was at, say, Is and 2s, and prizes 10s and 7s Gd, I believe that it would pay tho Society and induce more competition, With regard to my "childlike simplicity" and "modest wishes," I am afraid Sir, that such a "cap" would never be put on "a committeeman's" head, as, if I guess anywhere near the mark, such a word as " mqdeso" could not be spoken in the same'-breath as" A Committeeman's" name, Avithont'being very much out of place, With respect to baing " childlike," I think, sir, " the boot is on tho other leg," for how could I lay my " modest wishes" before the Committee until I read the Committee's report, which was not published till next day ? His last paragraph is nearer the mark, only in offering me his place on the Committee, I' think, sir, he should have signed his name, so that I might know whom I would havo to thank for such a kind offer, But after all, sir, perhaps it was only a little "joke" of his, he thinking at the seme time that the Committeo could not do without him, Apologising for again troubling you, I am &c, Barndoor.