HARBOR BOARD ELECTIONS

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2419, 6 February 1909, Page 4

HARBOR BOARD ELECTIONS

HEEDING AT ORMOND. Meetings in connection with the Harbor (Board elections were held in the Ormond Hall, Ormond, and the Mangapapa Schoolliouse last night. The meeting at Ormond, where there was a fair attendance, was addressed by Mr. W. D. Lysnar, and the candidates for the county seats, Messrs Adair and Hepburn. Air. A. Parsons was in the chair. Messrs Lysnar and Hepburn spoke on the lines of their previous addresses. Mr. Adair said that the real reason that he had come forward was that he had carefully examined the official statements and figures of the Board, and had come to the conclusion that an outer harbor could be got withoutstriking any rate. He thought that would} he a good thing, and his abject was to get the matter referred to the people. He would not be party to spending any money-unless real value were obtained for it. Mr. Charles Gray asked (Mr. Lysnar if he had not assisted in getting Mr. Leslie (Reynolds to report on the harbor.

•Mr. Lysnar replied that lie had and liad done so in order to a]. 'pease the minds of the opponents of the outer harbor scheme on the Board, but lie' found that it was impossible to do so. Mr. Gray then asked if Mr. Leslie Reynolds had not condemned Mr. Marchant's scheme. Mr. Lysnar replied that Mr. Reynolds had not condemned the site selected by Mr. Marchant, hut had approved of it as being the onlv practicable one, and had suggested that it should he made 100 acres larger, which proposition was in the nature of suggesting to the district that it should build a castle when a moderate-sized house would suit it.

•Mr. Kells asked if, as a* business man, Mr. Lysnar would say that it would be possible to build a harbor cheaper at Gisborne than it was costing the Napier people to build theirs. Mr. Lysnar replied that the comparison was not a practicable one, for the reason that Napier had already expended a large sum of money in building with concrete blocks, a system which was now acknowledged by engineers to he altogether too costly and unnecessary. Again, the site at Napier was much more exposed than that at Gisborne. A vote of thanks to Mr. Lysnar and the candidates for their addresses was proposed by Mr. Kells and carried unanimously.

MEETING AT MANGAPAPA

At the Mangapapa Schoolroom there was a, moderate •attendance, and the chair was taken by Mr. Malcolm McLeod. .Mr. Rees said it was proved by statistics and official records of the Board how easy it would he to build an efficient outer harbor without increasing the burdens of the people. Mr. Town-ley’s and Mr. AVliinmy’s conduct in not bringing Mr. Marchant's scheme before the people, as they had promised eleven months ago, was commented on. Mr. Hoes gave Mr. Townley every credit for his'honest- sincerity, energy, and Attention to the public wants of the district, he was a good citizen, an indefatigable worker, bub •unfortunately (the speaker said) his administration has mado us the laughing stock of the Dominion. Mr. Harris, referring to Mr. MacDonald’s address, said lie thought that gentleman lost sight of the interests of tlio town and small 'fanner. The ratepayers liad an absolute right to have the outer harbor question fairly brought before them, and it was .presumptions in any candidate to tell the people, to whose suffrages Hie was appealing, that ho would not brill o, an .important question like this before them if elected. Every --ratepayer, and every •householder and lus -wife in the borough, had a vote, and it was the duty of all to come to the 11 . . A vote of thanks to the Chairman and the candidates closed the meeting.