The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday Morning. Thursday, February 20, 1890. THE MINISTERIAL VISIT.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 419, 20 February 1890, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday Morning.

Thursday, February 20, 1890. THE MINISTERIAL VISIT.

Bfl iiiat and fear not; Let all the ends thou at be thy oouatry’a, Thy God’s, fiud truth’s.

It has often been remarked by visitors that Gisborne people are wanting in energy, but there surely was never a better proof of the truth of that assertion than the attitude assumed by a majority of the Borough Council, at its last meeting. An event which is probably without parallel in the history of the district is about to happen ; we are to be favored with the visit of two Ministers of the Crown, on the special mission of enquiring into the wants of the district. A large body of ratepayers at once took the matter up, and set an example by’ urging upon the Council the necessity for action. But instead of this being an incentive to the Council it merely formed a pretext for refusing to call a public meeting : the strongest reason in favor of that course was, by an ingenious but weak argument, allowed to have a contrary effect. The Council can be excused for taking such a narrow view of things, seeing that it was urged bv a gentleman who took a prominent place at the meeting of citizens. It would, he said, be a slight upon that meeting if a public meeting to discuss the wants of the district were called by the Council. It did not seem to occnr to him that the first meeting, though an influential assembly, was a private one, to which Press representatives had not been invited, and of which many citizens had not the slightest knowledge. It is a delicate matter for citizens to approach those whom they have selected to represent them, when the object is to spur the body on to energetic action. If the argument of Cr Lewis, about casting a slight upon the impromptu meeting, is to be seriously considered, a moment's thought ought to satisfy any person that if there were really grounds for anyone's dignity being ruffled it would be the Council that had cause to feel annoyed, for being asked to take action which, if neglected, would prove Councillors to be unfitted for their trust. But happily a higher ground has been taken; the thing has been considered in a fair spirit, and little quibbles about otHcial etiquette may well be cast aside. We want unity of action, and the situation of the Borough Council should be specially considered by that body. The Harbor Board and County Council are in such matters under disadvantages against which the Borough Council has not to contend, and the latter ig specially suited to take the lead. The ratepayers to the two former bodies reside over a vast area of country and are not easily called together, while, as the Mayor said, the Harbor Board’s troubles are peculiar to itself. The Borough is the proper centre for united action, and it is deeply concerned in all that interests the County, so that if the Council called a public meeting it should not only be attended by those gentlemen who held the impromptu meeting in town, but by representatives from all parts of the extensive Bast Coast district.

At present it is evident that there are many people so prejudiced that they cannot, even where the interests of the district are so deeply concerned, suppress party feeling and work for the common good. They appear not io have the clear-sightedness to conceive that it is through such lamentable political bigotry the district has suffered greatly in the pest. It is useless to expect that this petty feeling can be altogether effaced, —we cannot fight against Nature,—but if a public meeting were called there would be no possible excuse for the carping spirit •which has been exhibited. And here -we may also point out that the County (Council appears t be blamed without itcasonable justification, When the deputation went to wait on the Council there

was no quorum, and the Chairman, who was present, retired and took no part in the reception of the deputation. So far as we can see that does not convey the slightest indication that the Council would not be happy to act in unison with the other bodies. Certainly it would not have given the Chairman much trouble to inform the deputation that it could not be received owing to there being no quorum, but simply because that was not done it is an absurdity to jump at the conclusion that the County Council is unfavorable to joint action being taken. If such really were the case the Council would bring upon itself the disgraceful reputa- ■ tion of being the most churlish public body in New Zealand, and the members would prove themselves totally unfit to hold a seat on a representative body. But all that can be said against the Council is that some members neglected to attend a meeting at which important business was to be transacted, and it is most unjust to put any blame on those members who did attend; they should not be held responsible for no quorum being present. Having gone so far, the ratepayers who first took up the subject of the arrival of the Ministers ought now to go further and petition the Mayor to convene a public meeting, inviting every taxpayer in the district to attend. A free and public discussion of the wants of the district can do no harm and may lead to very, good results, while the united action of the taxpayers will have much more weight than if the local bodies were left to act on their own responsibility. It must not be forgotten that everyone in the district is a taxpayer, though large numbers of names may not figure on. the ratebooks of the local bodies.