The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1909. THE “HERALD” AND THE LOAN PROPOSALS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2666, 23 November 1909, Page 4

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1909. THE “HERALD” AND THE LOAN PROPOSALS.

Our evening contemporary has undertaken to champion.the loan proposals as they are to be submitted to the ratepayers and in a recent issue trots forth the customary arguments in favor of the Lysnar (policy. It says: ■. ." The w’hole opposition , of the minority of the Council rests on the metal question and their suggestion that the loan proposals should not be put to the ratepayers en bloc but as separate issues. Now there are several good reasons why the advancement scheme should not be submitted in piecemeal but treated as one great plan of progress, tin the first (place it is more economical-that the proposals should bo taken as a whole. To submit them one by one on different dates, as was suggested,' would entail considerable additional cost in conforming with., statute necessities. Secondly, by raising the amount required in one substantial loan much better terms can be arranged than would be possible -if a number of small loans for irregular amounts had to be borrowed. Third- ■ ly, .and, must, important, there .will be • considerable gain -in economy of'construction if the scheme is adopted in toto. and the work can; proceed- on a. definite plan under the supervision of .a r qualified engineer'. s ' Now, to begin with, the “Herald” is wrong in assuming, that the Council is unanimous on everything but the-me-tal question. Councillor Darton spoke strongly at last meeting against the proposal to spend £4,950 on a bridge over the Waimata which he considered

vwas quite ' unnecessary. 'But ' thb “Herald” would compel Councillor.Dartori-, if: lie desired to register- his vote against wliat lie considers a piece of extravagance, to also vote against the sewerage and .other schemes that lie approves of. Councillor Clayton would have liked the Council to obtain further information on the question of tramways, as he believes the Borough would probably do better by arranging for a private firm to take over all financial responsibility. Here again the Councillor will, at the (poll, have to vote for a scheme, that lie is not entirely satisfied with in. order to register an affirmative vote for those that he desires* to go straight through'. Now as to the economy in submitting the schemes'. No one ever suggested that they should be submitted on different dates, and this “suggestion” must have emanated in the imagination of the writer. As to the alleged economy of having the’ issues submitted as one in preference to a division of the proposals the saving would be exceedingly small. The individual proposals carried at the original poll, would be resubmitted as one and the second poll, being purely a formal one, the expense should not be unduly great. Are the ratepayers of Gisborne to be hoodwinked into voting blindly and indiscriminately for a series of diverse works to cost £175,000 in order, that the cost of a second . poll may be saved? Then as to the saving in interest. In order to give the ratepayers an opportunity to vote for and against each issue it- 1 is not necessary that the money for each shall be raised separately. It is difficult to believe that the “Herald” has really allowed itself to be misled by the Lysnarites in this matter, but the inference is irresistible. Assuming that the proposals were placed separately before the ratepayers at the same pell it is probable that most of them would be carried. In that case the amounts of the approved schemes would be pooled and the total borrowed as a lump sum just the same as if the various schemes were one. It is true that under the existing law it would be necessary to go through the formality of a second poll as was done at Napier, but as already pointed out, this is not a serious matter, The third point made by our contemporary is much more reasonable. No one denies the advantage of having the chief works now under consideration undertaken simultaneously. In many cases the work will interlap in .suck a way as to save cost and increase efficiency. But even that argument - is not sufficient to merit the inclusion of a scheme that is financially unsound. If roads made out of Kaiteratahi gravel are likely to prove unsatisfactory it will be .small consolation to the ratepayers that their money is being wasted at the same time that certain other works are going on.

'* To ; put the qu'estiori in a nutshell: There is a large section of the community sharing our own convictions . that the road loan proposals have not been put forward on a ,sound basis.- They do not believe that. roads made entirely of Kaiteratalii gravel will he satisfactory. They may be wrong but they are surely entitled to an expression of opin. ion when the polling day comes round. There are hundreds of people in Gisborne who think it an act of folly for the Borough to einbark on an electric lighting scheme, and there are others who believe that'-five years hence will be ample time to think about a. tramway system. These, likewise, may be in error, but it is they who : pay the rates and surely it is but right that before being saddled with a share of the cost they should be given an opportunity to protest against the expenditure. A Gas Company shareholder may, for the protection of his own investment and also because of his views on the vexed question of gas versus electricity, have a violent antipathy to the electric light scheme, yet he also is to be bamboozled into voting for it. Of course, he can register his vote the other .way, but in .doing 59 he is .compelled to oppose the \Vaimata Bridge loan, the •recreation 'grounds,' roalsjkjfAtePworks. .reservoir, : and likewise,; the. sewerage, scheme which he probably considers A; vitally;-urgent matter; It; is- in this •'.way* that the “Herald” -wduld, to. .all' intents and purposes, disfranchise that large section of the community, which, whilst favoring most of the loan proposals, has strong objections to one or more. As already pointed out in these columns, the desire of the'people for a sanitation scheme is being worked for all it is worth, and under cover of that urgent and imperative need the ratepayers are being asked to vote for a host of other things which Mr Lysnar and his friends on tlie Council have decided is good for them. We are not opposing these proposals—being in sympathy with most of them —but we do protest most emphatically against the barefaced effort that is now being made to drive the ratepayers headlong into an enormous loan .without giving them a reasonable 1 opportunity to express their wishes on the various projects. [Since the above was written our contemporary has deait with the financial aspect of the loan proposals, and these will receive attention in a subsequent article.] .

A rnob of cattle, numbering 500 head, left .Gisborne for Napier yesterday.

A first offender was fined the usual 5s and costs for drunkenness at the Gisborne Police Court yesterday, and another who did not appear was fined £l, inclusive of costs. Tenders for the mail service from Gisborne Post Office to the wharves and railway station for 1910-11-12 will be received at the Post Office, Gisborne, till noon on Tuesday November 30th. The traffic returns on the North Island Main Trunk lines and branches for four weeks ending October 16th, amounted to £104,897 16s 6d, against £87,676 11s 2d for the corresponding period last year. Passengers accounted for £41,112 0s Id, and goods £50,938 11s 2d, both showing a considerable increase on the similar period of 1908.

Mr James W. Witty, wharfinger to tlio Gisborne Harbor Hoard, notifies -a connection witih ,a dispute over the timber brought to Gisborne by the scow Tramp, 99,500 ft, that he wixl remove it from the wharf to the Hoard’s reclaimed land, Kaiti, on November 30, at the expense and risk of the owner or his agent, unless the wharfage and storage are (paid in the meantime. ~ The annual meeting of the Gisborne Auxiliary of the British and Foreign Bible Society will, by the kind permission of the Veil. Archdeacon Williams, be held in the grounds at his residence, Te ltau, on Thursday, December 2nd. At a committee meeting held last week it was decided that a contribution of £25 be forwarded to the parent Society ■bringing the total annual contribution up to £125.

Father Price, of Christchurch, who has just returned from a visit to San Francisco, says that “one thing about the city was that there was something so free and open-hearted in the way the people take to strangers. I had not been there twelve hours before 1 had to pay six shillings and threepence for a haircut and shampoo. You Icel that you have got to. a place where 3011 are really welcome.” The new' programme of the Pa the pictures was shown for the second time to a fair audience in His Majesty’s Theatre last night. . The programme is an. excellent one, and the different pictures were well received by the audince. Owing to the theatre being engaged this evening the pictures .will be shown at Ormond, resuming again in the theatre to-morrow night and the succeeding nights. Following the lead of older countries, an experiment in delivering parcels post packages per tramcar, will probably be begun in Wellington before long, sa\*s the “Dominion”. ‘The parcels post business has grown to such dimensions that the postal authorities have rjpproaehed the City Council with a view to getting special cars run in the above service, and it is understood that the Council is favorable to a trial being given. The service will probably commence with two cars per day.

The attraction in His Majesty’s Theatre to-night will be the performance ot the cantata entitled “The Haymakers by the Methodist. Choir, assisted by a number of other musicians, under the, conductorshijp of Mr' A. it.’ Don. A final rehearsal was held last night when the different numbers went with -a swing that augured well for the success of the public performance this evening. The tickets have been selling rapidly, and given a"fine evening, a large au-, diouce and a pleasurable entertainment are assured.

The vexed question of the size of grain sacks is dealt with in the following railway by-law gazetted last week: —“The maximum, weight of an}’ class of cereal or other agricultural produce contained in any one sack to be carried by the railway shall be 20Ulb. Any sack of any class of cereal or other agricultural produce containing a greater weight than 2001 b. shall b© charged for at four times the ordinary rate of freight.” 'This by-law will come into operation on February 1, 1910.

“I must protest against the suggestion that wlien man is in poverty he is to forge,” said Mr. Justice Denniston at the Christchurch SupremeUourt.. “How long is it to be before the .prisoner will forge again ” Forgery, His Honour continued, seemed to be tne first recourse when a man had exhausted the ordinary sources of making money. The ease with which men could get cheques and the indecent ease with which they could get them cashed, was also largely responsible. A hard winter was no justification tor forgery. Commenting on the Premier’s policy programme, the Christchurch Press iavs: “We regard the talk about an autumn session as a little P 1 ??® bluit on the part of the Prime Minister, to which Mr Massey, as in duty bound, . . gallantly responded. At any rate, we do not .envy his task if, after members have been sweltering an ;; their stuffy chamber during the heat of summer, , Ire had to bring them back for an autumn session. (He will try tp. get through some of his most important measures before Christmas, and will doubtless succeed, if he is reasonable in accepting amendments. About 25 minutes past 12 o’clock last night an alarm was rung .from tne western- firebeU, and' was-quickly taken up by the central bell. The Fire Brigade mustered, but no sign °f hre was visible. It appeared that Mr. W heeltr, a telegraph operator, while on his way home, saw a glare in the direction of Te Hapara, a considerable <hstance awav and rang the western firebeU. Mr. ’ Fraser, nightwatchman, was in the vicinitv of that be.l at the time, and ascended the belfry, but could see no glare. He asked Constable Moore, who was with him, to go and step the central bell, which, he did. The brigade had left the station, but returned on being unable to perceive any fire. Constable Moore went out to Taruheru without finding any indication of a fire. He inquired at the freezing works wliether any glare had been noticed there, but was informed by the watchman that nothing of the kind had been seen. The “Hot Lakes Chronicle” states that the Ohinemutu Pa oyas in averment of excitement recently owing to the Native residents of the village taking part in a “taua.” This ancient custom is a punishment inflicted' on offenders and their relatives for some wrong done, and in the olden times it was a very general form of. punishment. -‘■■lie principle of a “taua” is the confiscation of; articles by the tribe to which the offender belongs,, the Matters near--cst relatives also being affected. . Cn this occasion tlie party offending, it is alleged, developed a great affection for another man’s wifq, and was made the victim of a “taua.” A troupe of natives, numbering nearly a hundred, marched into tlie pa and indulged in liakas and. war dances, after which a confiscation of all kinds of articles, including greenstone, mat 6, clothing, guns, and live stock was systematically carried out. A largo number of visitors were _ attracted to the pa, and were greatly interested and amused at the demonstration.

At Wairoa last week a barman was ,fined/£5 for supplying liquor to a youth under 18 years of age. Mr H. M. Choveaux, representative of the International Correspondence Sehcrol, is at present on one of ins. periodical visits to Gisborne. A. meeting of the Boy Scouts Committee was to have been held nr 10 Y.M.C.A. rooms last evening, but was adjourned to this evening.

Nominations for the District Handicap, Mangatu Hurdles, Wliatatutu Cup and Flying Handicap at the Wliatatutu Racing Club’s annual meeting are to close on Saturday next, November 27. The annual concert in aid of the Te Ivaraka Presbvterian Church building fund will be held in the King’s Theatre, Te Karaka, on Thursday next, November 26th. A very attractive programme is to be presented and it is hoped that there will be a large attendance.

Owing to the fact that two cases of enteric fever had been reported to the Town Clerk yesterday morning from Victoria Township, the Borough Council Sanitation Committee paid a surprise visit to the> sanitary depots situated there, but everything was found to be in the cleanest state.

A deputation from the Friendly Societies Conference is to wait on the Hospital Trustees at their meeting on Friday night, when the advisability 01 better facilities at the hospital and ol the desirability of a new hospital will bo discussed. The deputation is also to iv,ait upon the Cook County Council at an early date. The advantages of Tatapouri as a health resort are set forth in an advertisement in this issue from Mr it. rt. Warner,licensee of the Tatapouri Hotel. This establishment is only nine miles from Gisborne and is situated amid charming surroundings, with a line sea beach. Mr Warner announces that special attention is paid to the comfort of families.

The “Christchurch Press” remarks: taken for the purpose of a new college, Auckland University College will have a site that the other university centres may envy. There is really no sound reason why a residence for the Governor should be kept up in Auckland, and we do not know a more fitting purpose to which the land could be devoted than tliat proposed.” Upon the confession of a husband, applying for a' separation order from his wife at the Auckland Court recently, that he had offered his wife to another, saying he was welcome to her, Mr. C. C. Kettle, S.M., remarked: “1 have heard of these things happening among Maoris and savages, but cannot understand civilised people behaving in such a manner.” The magistrate said “Well, did the man take her?” the husband replying, “No, worse luck.”

The sanitary committee of the Borough Council yesterday morning paid a visit to the bathing sheds on the Waikanae beach. The ladies’ sited, owing to the care taken by the ladies, was in a clean and healthy state, but the shed for the men was in a very untidy condition, though it was not considered to he unsanitary. After consideration it was decided to extend the building by 20 feet and to put in • other conveniences.

Preparations are well forward for the Garden Party and Sale of Work at the grounds of the Misses Morice, Childers Road, next Thursday afternoon and evening. Resides plain a»d fancy work there ' will' be produce, plants, cakes, and sweets on sale. A Christmas Tree and a mvsterious bran tub will appeal to the children. Various games and competitions an? being promoted. The members of the Young Men’s Bible Class will run a number of side shows. The City Band has kindly consented to play, and several attractions are promised for the .evening. A new' rule in connection with lifesaving appliances on ships is gazetted. The rule in question provides that in the case of foreign-going passenger steamers or emigrant ships at present required to carry more than four beats placed under davits, a motor hfe-boat may be substituted for one such boat. The motor boat must be approved by the Marine Department, and proper appliances for putting same into water must be provided. The lifeboat must also be adequately provided/With fuel, and ‘kept so as to he, at alb times, fit and ready for use.

“Sir Joseph Ward has taken my pupils,” explained an applicant te yesterday’s meeting of the Benevolent Trustees. Tlie applicant, who carried on a night school for young men, explained that most of his scholars were youths who had passed the third standard, and he coached them up until they passed the sixth, for £1 Is per quarter. “But how has Sir Joseph taken, your pupils?” asked one of the trustees. The aged teacher replied that his roll had'decreased sadly since the Government had made, arrangements, for a class.; I ## boys in the and Telegraph Depart! l ', rnent. \\