The Harbor Crisis.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 213, 25 October 1888, Page 3

The Harbor Crisis.

A DEPUTATION TO THE BOARD. Thire was a large number of ratepayers present at the last meeting of the Harbor Board, the critical position evidently having aroused the ratepayers to take a more active interest in this important matter. Messrs Maude and Adair were introduced to the Board, as the deputation appointed by the public meeting, to urge upon the Board the necessity of going on with the works until they had been made reproductive. Mr Maude acting as spokesman. He said they had very little time to get signatures, bat 250 had been obtained representing ha f a million of money, and besides votes representing another £60,000 in value had been promised in support of the prosecution of the works. Mr Townley moved that the petition be received and as far as it were possible that the wishes of the ratepayers be acceded to It gave him pleasure to see they were going into these matters and the result would be for the best. He himself hoped a successful poll would be taken and the works pushed on,—that all these past differences should be avoided and that they should push on, all bent

on securing the progress of the district. Mr Gannon seconded, and said no name had been placed on the petition but of those who were on the roll and the values bad also ti placed alongside the names The value ssented, and got in such a short time, within £70,000 of the am ount required, they had also got about half the numbe of signatures required. Amoi g those whose names bad not yet been obtained, but who wore certain in favor of the continuation, were Messrs Sunderland Bros., Arthur, and Chambers, and one gentleman, repiesenting £ll,OOO, was coming up from Wellington

purposely to vote. The Chairman thought it hardly necessary for him to read all the names on the memorial presented, but it was largely signed, and any member was at liberty to satisfy himself upon It. Mr Dickson: You have had a petition presented to you by the ratepayers; it has been Well received, and I bow to their wish s. But still I wish members <>f the Board would refer back to the time when another petition Of the ratepayers was placed before this Board, end it was not treated so fairly as the present one. I have no doubt in my mind that the tone of the Board is consonant with

the feelings of the ratepayer- at the present time, much more so than it was at a former time when the same gentleman wbo-preseuiH thia petition presented another one to the eSoot that we should consider whether we have not made a falsity as to the selection of the site, or construction of our present works. Kuw, I believe that each of those gentlemen who are here present, as presenting Chis petition, at any rata the major portion of them, were the gentlemen who presented the petition on the lines I have indicated, and I, for my part, though only being a cypher in the community, hold the opinion now I held then, and I only hope that the petition will be received with the amount of favor that it should be. Taking the whole thing and weighing it fairly, and thinking over these matters, when we go back .Jo the time when & petition was pretested in the opposite direction I appealed to the ratepayers in the district, and to any ether people, that what we warned I is a harbor and nothing short of it. What WO went into the London market for was to barrow money to float vessels that would enable us to compete witn other colonial towns, and not only bring the Australia alongside. I appeal to any ratepayer in the place whether they then, by their consent, went to the London market, and borrowed money from there to float the Australia. They went for mousy to pay for a harbor, a harbor to float vessels of large tonnage, and vessels to put our produce in the markets of the world, if we have made an error so far as we have gone, we have not gone so far that we cannot redeem that error. You have, as our Engineer vesy aptly says, the best machinery applicable for the construction of a harbor. You have a number of blocks lying in your bloekyard. In addition to that you have the necessary depths of water and a solid basis on Which to construct your breakwater. Then do as wise men should do; as men who have a stake in the place: take the opinion of two solicitors and do not go to a poll, but stick to the £40,000. Let the government get the balance—let them get the blocks and machinery, and then, having lent our £40,000 after a year or two yon can compel

them to build the breakwater where it should have been built at first; where Nature has given yon the necessary depth of water, and When all the assistance that could have been given by Nature is there. Taking this line, you will adopt a much safer course than if yoq adopt the prayer of this petition. Il you finish to the extent of the present line laid down by the Engineer, you finish on a sand bank. It is too near the lee shore for a vessel to lay alongside it. I hold it against any man, no matter who he may be, that we have the best grass district in New Zealand or Australia; that we have a district that can raise produce, beef, or mutton which cannot be beaten by the North, South, East, or West, and I hold that if the ratepayers in the place, .and thia Board, were of the same opinion, they would seek the advancement of the place —go shoulder to shoulder and knee to knee and push the place ahead. They would say, “ Have none of the extension of this Work. Stop it where it is,” They would say, ** We will force the Government to give us a harbor where we can float vessels to enable us to compete with any other centre of population in New Zealand." Gentlemen and ratepayers, if you do not take thia stand, you will be doing a serious wrong and error—say to the Government. •• We will give it over to you ; let you have it; but we will compel you bye and bye to give os what we are entitled to. the necm-ary dej th of water that we can float vessels in, s > that we can pat our products in them, so tht' we should be able to compete with any port in the Australian colonies or elsewhere.*’ Two years ago there was a petition of this sort brought to the Chamber, and it was laughed put of the place. Now yoq have brought panther petition to extend the work, which, I contend, is a futile one, and I have no herita. tion in saying that any man who votes for this will be doing the district a wrong. I may stand alone, but I will stand alone in my opinion. I have chatted- with the Engineer, and told him of the efflux and influx of the tide.. I haye told him that when we have a flood wo have it from the North East. We bars a considerable nflux of water to our rver and a wonderful efflux. As a matter of fact, I have seen it; watched it morning, r oon, and night. The wind holds round to the South East, and makes a wonderful dis turbanoe in the river—it makes a NorthEasterly and Westerly channel. Any man in the Bay for two years could endoree thia. The sand must have gone somewhere. I hold ths t the construction of our breakwater is wrong. It should have been more to the Eastern side. Mr Gannon asked the Chairman what •übiect they were on. The Chairman ruled that Mr Dickson had a perfect right to speak on the question. ” Mr Gannon said’ha was satisfied. Mr Dickson i You should hear what any Other member of the Board has to say. I have not some here to talk rot and nonsense. I have been twitted and chided by one end another. I am a good target. You cannot miss me. I am a solid old man, and I ean speak fearlessly against any man, no patter who M is. and you will get nothing but sterling truth from the old man. I hold, gnd I have always held, that you cannot get a vessel drawing 23 feet of water in 19 or 21 fret. I, as a ratepayer, never agreed to the borrowing of this money to float the Australia, I consented to borrow the money so that we might float large ocean-going steamers, that Wo-sbould forge this place ahead. 1 will not give in to anybody. It they* give proof that the spending of this money will redeem ns and pat as in the position that we can compete with other ports in the colony; if they can do this I will retract all I have said, but no sane man can hold that It can he done. Je conclusion I may say I will subject to the tots of the ratepayers—if they will say they will pay the tax on the additional £40,000 for nothing, then I simply submit to it, but if they do they wilt not be so wise in their generation as I imagine them to be. Mr Mattbewaon approved of the petition bring reeriyed, and was glad the ratepayers were going into the matter, but before passing ha atiwd that tire letter Motived » short time 4^Beaderland and others should

The letter was to the effect that owing to the stoppage of the works by Government the signatories would not hold themselves liable for further rates. ** The Chairman thought that was an argument in favor of the prosecution of the works. The Chairman moved that in answer to

the prayer of the ratepayers, be informed that the Board will do its best to carry out their wishes. Mr Dickson seconded. Mr Dickson then moved that the former proposal to get Messrs Bell and Goodall to confer with Mr Thomson be carried out now. The Chairman ruled that the motion could not be taken then. The Chairman withdrew his motion in favor of Mr Gannon’s proposition that the Board adjourn until the following Monday evening. By that time they would have been able to test the feelings of the country, and no more time should be lost now than they could help in settling the thing one way or the other.

Mr Matthewson said he, no doubt, would be influenced by the feelings of the settlers, but there were many things yet to consider. Mr Gannon : I emphatically protest against this sort of thing. Here we have had two public meetings and every opportunity offered and Mr M .tthewson did not get up to say a word, or contradict anything that was said. Mr Matthewson : I am a Government nomi nee.

Mr Gannon: Unfortunately. Mr Matthewson : I claim a right to give expression to my feelings whenever I like. Mr Gannon said there had been every opportunity offered to members of the Board, and to ratepayers geneially, to express their views on the question. Now a member of the Bo»rd, as a Government nominee, would wish the matter to be further deferred to get

more information. Mr Matthewson said he did not wish the adjournment. He only wan ed the motion worded so that the Board should give it due consideration and they could discuss it now. Mr Gannon s .id they had been discussing the question for two years and he could see no necessity for discussing further. All he wished was to have no further delay than was necessary. Mr Matthewson did not want to pledge themselves to the statement that bad gone forth. Mr Gannon: I tlfnk it hardly right to tVe people to gi e them that official reply. Mr Townley was at first opposed to the ad jou ament but upon its being that Monday next would give them an app irt unity of holding meetings in the country, and would not make any delay according to the rules of proce luTe, he agreed to and Seconded the m tio >.

Mr Matthewson pr »po ed, and M- Dickson RpCondedy a an amendment, that the gentlemen composing the deputation b« informed that the Board would give due and careful consideiation to their request. The ame dment was lost, only the mover and seconder voting for it, Mr Clark pointed out that almost the first name on the peti ion was that of Mr DeLau» tour who, he understood, had given his opinion against taking p >ll. The Chairman did not see any inconsistency in that. Mr DeLautour’s fear was that if the poll were taken it might oe lost, and they would not have another opportunity to decide the matter. Mr Gannon said Mr DeLautour represented one of the largest property holders in the district, and he could see nothing inconsistent in his warning them to be careful, and then as a ratepayer pledging himself to do Lis utmost to get the poll carried.

The motion was carried, only Mr Matthewson voting against. Mr Dickson then moved to the same effect as when he had been ruled out of order. The Chairman ruled that the motion must be given notice of. Mr Dickson said he wanted to let the rate* payers know what course he wished toadopt. The Chairman thought that could be equally well conveyed by a resolu ion of which notice were given. In dismissing the deputation the Chairman said he believed their wishes would be acceded to. Any further question of site, etc. would not be in place at the present moment. Mr Maude, in reply, said with regard to the question of site he considered it was definitely settled by the amending Act. Mr Matthewson then criticisad the statements which had been made to the ratepayers, in an address lasting over half an hour, and went over the old grounds. He said had the work been done by contract, the contractor would have guaranteed to give them 80ft of water for the money. He moved that the Board do not commit itself to the statements contained in the reports. Mr Dickson seconded.

Messrs Townley and Gannon replied. The latter again twitted Mr Matthewson with repeating these opinions over and over again to the members who had heard them so often and yet not coming forward at the public meetings. Mr Townley agreed the statement should first have been laid before the Board, but even as.it was he thought it had given a amount of information. However it would not be fair for them to make any motion in regard to it as Mr Sievwright was not there to make reply. He moved that the discussion be adjourned to some future time.

Mr Matthewson agreed to this course, which was resolved upon. Mr Matthewson withdrew his motion with regard to the Engineer, as he considered by the Board’s previous expression of opinion that Mr Thomson’s engagement ceased with the stoppage of the works.