The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, MAY 28, 1907. THE OUTER HABOR.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2091, 28 May 1907, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, MAY 28, 1907. THE OUTER HABOR.

Recently a complaint was made in these columns that nothing was being heard about the outer harbor; but tlie question has been brought to the fore again by the discussion at the Harbor Board yesterday regarding the proposed enabling bill. The discussion was purely one as to details, and was strictly out of order, but it gave some idea of what the feeling of the Board is, and as such was of interest. The war over who should bear the taxation was long and keen. There can be no doubt if the harbor is jn-o-vided the whole of the district will benefit, and therefore the whole of the district should be called upon to provide the necessary money; and ,t also seems reasonable that the town should pay more than the country, for the town will undoubtedly reap the greatest share of the benefit. One cannot easily see the force of Mr. Sievwriglit’s remark that if Tolaga were left out Motu also should he left out. There is absolutely no similarity in the circumstances jf the two districts. Gisborne is the natural distributing point for the Motu district; and it would be well to inquire if, when the harbor is completed, coastal liners will run to Tolaga Bay, or, should they, run, if settlers will not find it cheaper to get goods by way of the harbor. Mr. Wllinray was right when he said the harbor was being built for tlie country people, but lie was wrong in arguing therefrom that they should find the majority of the necessary money.

The whole success of tile proposed scheme depends on the Harbor Board, and it is highly necessary that the Board should attack the general po« sition on broad lines. No worse mistake could be made than putting an undue amount of taxation on country ratepayers, for with bad roads and one thing and another they are sorely pressed at present, and if they are called upon to contribute very largely to the cost of the harbor they may vote solidly against _tlie scheme to erect it, and for a further period postpone one of the improvements most needed in Poverty Bay. The Board and voters generally should recognise that the harbor is intended to develop the country, and that as the number of sheep in the province is added to and the acreage of cultivation increased, the town ratepayers will benefit to a far larger degree than will the country ratepayers.

The blight has appeared in the turnips at Turiroa. In our adveritsing columns a gardener applies for a situation. The Nuhaka Dairy Factory will close for the season at the end of this month.

In another column will be found an address from Mr. J. W. Bright tr the Harbor Board electors.

A meeting of the Gisborne Wharf Laborers’ Union will be held this evening.

Mcssis. Segedin and Ostojn announce in our. advertising columns that they have taken over the billiard saloon in Peel street opposite the Times office.

. A notice regarding the steps it is desired that householders should take to ensure cleanliness of premises is inserted in this issue by- the Town Clerk.

As a result of the recent bad weather, says the latest Wairoa Guardian, Kabul street is in a bad state, and residents down that way have to plough through the mud. A few loads of gravel on the footpath would obviate this.

Tliero were several slips ontheWaikaremoana road during the recent storms, preventing wheeled traffic. There was also one on the Turiroa cutting, but the Wairoa County Engineer sent men to dear them to allow vehicles to pass.

The Frasertown-Mangapoiki road .a graded for about eight miles past Burnside. A settler in from that direction informs the Wairoa Guardian that it will be a few years before'it wjjl be opened for wheel traffic right through to (Jisbornp. The Andrew Mack Co, leave for South after their performance oil Wednesday evening, the launch leaving at midnight. This will bo a special trip and the launch leaves with the passengers and luggage at the usual hour.

At the Harbor Board meeting yesterday afternoon, the question of the leakage of water over the parapet into the meeting room and harbor master’s office was considered. It was stated that the cementing was bpdly done. Arrangements were ipa.de fof repair. The Wairoa Guardian has a slap at the Cook County:—lt is creditable tp the Wairoa County Council that His Excellency the Governor, during his recent visit, in spite of the terrible weatl\er, had good travelling throughout, and only met with delays and disaster when he crossed the boundary into the Cook County.

Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure for Coughs and Colds never fails.—ls 6d and 2s 6d.

A Hastings resident of authority predicts that the oleobrie tramway system in that town will bo an established fact within tho next 12 months. It is oxpccted that there will ho no difficulty in forming a syndicate, as there are wealthy men in the district •who aro greatly in favor of tho scheme.

In fining a 'Wanganui employer for failing to pay his employee’s wages within the time provided by tho law, tho Bench said it was not right, on principle, that an employer should let his employees suffer owing to financial embarrassments. If an employer could not pay his debts, the person fo suffer should not he one of his workpeople.

A lotter was received at the Harbor Board mooting yesterday from the District Health Officer recommending that in view of a suspicious death in Auckland precautions should ho taken to keop rats from the wharves, lho lotter was referred to the Harbor Master. The overseer was instructed to uso all moans in his power and 3d a hoad would bo paid for rats delivered.

An elderly looking man named Harry Wilson was charged at the Police Court yesterday ' morning with travelling from Auckland on Saturday by the Tarawera without having paid tho fare, £l, and with intent to avoid payment. He pleaded guilty. Detective Maddern stated that he was a sea-faring man, anil could probably have secured a free passage, but ho simply walked on board. A line of £2, 2s costs, or in default 7 days’ imprisonment, was imposed.

At the meeting of the Harbor Board yesterday the Harbor Master recommended that lor tho safety of the public the gate across the groyne should be kept locked during the winter months. The groyne is a dangerous place with a Hood tide, and people could get washed off and drowned before assistance could he rendered. One day two men were prisoners on the rails at the end for some time and the seas were breaking over nearly the whole length of it.

Tho following is the Harbor Board’s cash statement:—Ordinary account, cr £8061,17s 9d; harbor improvements, 1907, dr. £3096 3s 1d; cr. £4965 14s 2d. Bank: Current account as per bank pass book, £4969 0s 2d ; less unpresented clieqiies, £3 6s ; cr. £4965 14s 2d. Outstanding: Arrears of rates—l9o6 (European), £645 8s 3d, 1906, crown land per Government £679 2s, 1906, Native land do. do. £797 Is 2d, Native per Jackson or Foster £6O os 3d, Native per E.C.N.L. Trust Board 12s 9d, rates, 1905, £223 10s 2d, wharfages current, £66 Is 3d.

At the police court yesterday morning before Mr. Barton, S.M., Richard Solomon was fined 10s, costs 2s, or in default 48 hours imprisonment for drunkenness. For a similar offence Michael Mahon was fined £l, with 2s costs or 48 hours. On a further charge of procuring liquor during the currency of a prohibition order, he was fined £lO, with 2s costs or three months hard labor in Napier gaol. His Worship remarked that ho had been lenient to the accused before and he had made all sorts of promises hut had never kept them. A first offending female was dealt with in the usual way.

Says the Wairoa Guardian of Monday last:—The present long spell of bad weather has resulted in the roads being considerably cut up. However, the route to Napier appears in fair condition. On the Gisborne side matters are not so satisfactory. The punt is still “off” at Frasertown, but though there is a considerable fresh in the river it is not. up to any extent, and not so high as might have been expected after tho continuous downpour in the bade country. The southerly gale witlii showers still continues, but there are signs that it is at length blowing itself out. There is a very heavy sea in tlie bay.

The Registrar-General, in his analysis of the census returns, states that the number of those who are “agricultural implement makers” in

what ore called the “agricultural implement factories” in the whole colony is 39. Tho total value of the manufactures of these factories for the year was £133,094, and the total value of agricultural implements imported was £117,311. The wages paid to the operatives in these factories averages £92 per annum. If a duty of 33J per cent, was placed on agricultural machinery, as now demanded, this, on the values set out above, would represent a tax of £85,135 on tlie farming industry. If each agricultural implement maker was given a pension of £IOO -sf" year the cost would be only £3900, so that the farming industry would save £81,235 a year by maintaining these in complete idleness,