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

Thursday, July 17, 1890. THE HARBOR TROUBLE.

Be just and fear not; Let all the ends then airn’at at be thy country’s, Thy God’s, and truth’s..

The great majority of people in this district do not seem to have yet realised the seriousness of the Harbor Board’s financial position There is but the poorest prospect of Parliament affording any relief this session, and what we have now mainly to consider is not the shabby way in which the district has been treated—there is the graver danger to be faced. There is a serious financial difficulty which must either be removed or the odium of default be drawn upon the district. It is evident that in the present temper of Parliament no point can be gained by adopting the passive attitude, and tor the members to resign in a body, as one member suggested, would show a feebleness that would be worse than humiliating, while the idea that we should calmly await default should not be entertained if there is a possible way out of the difficulty. At the last meeting of the Board Mr Townley expressed the opinion that the Board was quite able to strike a special rate over the special district, so long as it did not exceed twopence (town) and a penny (country) in the pound. Mr Sievwright endorsed that view, only his idea was that further rating should be avoided. Of course a large property owner like Mr Townley must be equally averse to any increase in rates, but even as a matter of selfinterest the question must be looked at from a much broader point of view. If it is possible under the Act to strike a rate, whether is it better to do that or accept the grave consequences of default? Should we make an additional sacrifice and pay our way, or risk the alternative ?

Up to the present there have been various reasons to prevent anything definite being done. On the one side the hope has been entertained that some relief would be afforded by Parliafnent — that a fair and honorable request would be acceded to and all further anxiety be removed ; and on the other side there has been much doubt as to whether the Board could by any means get out of the difficulty. It appears now that all hope of relief must be abandoned for the time being. Mr Arthur has no doubt done his best in the matter, but his own communications show that he has not the least hope of a successful issue to his work. After a careful consideration of the position we believe that the course suggested by Mr Townley is the proper one, and one that may eventually be forced on the special district in a way that we hardly care to contemplate. The jfyo.ooo has been expended, and there is not the slightest doubt that after the poll that was taken, the special district has made itself liable; but there has been no attempt to strike the special rate, and is it not possible that the property-owners in the outer district will refuse to pay more rates until the Board has endeavoured to take advantage of the Act last passed ? Of course it is said that the Act is not workable, but is that a sufficient excuse for not trying to make use of its provisions ? The sections to which particular attention is referred are as follows:—

4. The special district rate raised and levied for each annual period, notwithstanding anythin? contained in “The Gisborne Harbour Act, 1884,” shall not exceed twopence in the pound in the Borough of Gisborne, and one penny in the pound iu the other part of the special district: Provided that the rate levied upon rateable property in the Borough of Gisborne shall be double the rate levied upon rateable property in the other part of tha special district.

6. In assessing the amount required in any one year to be raised and levied upon rateable property in the special district and in the harbour district respectively, the estimated ordinary revenue, inclusive of interest accrued or accruing due de die in diem within the annual period upon Loan Fund invested in the Public Trustee or on deposit in any bank, for that year, in excess of working-expenses and the cost of administration, may first be applied to the credit of the several districts in the proportion which the whole value of rateable property iu the one district bears to the whole value of rateable property in the other. From section 6 it will be seen that the excess of ordinary revenue must be applied to the credit of the separate districts, so that if a reduction can be made it must be on the ordinary rate collected from the whole district.

To advocate the levying of the special rate, especially in the face of objections that might be raised, is not at all a pleasant thing, but we think that good sense dictates it as a means of getting relief from a difficulty fraught with more serious consequences. By the simple process of arithmetic it can easily be reckoned what the effect of the special rate would be, but no one can gauge the harm that would be done by the disgrace of default. The odium would be fastened on the district for years, the progress of further settlement would be paralysed, and we would be forced to abandon any hope there now is of a reduction of taxation through an increase of population; while on the other hand we fear that such men as Sir George Whitmore will consider themselves justified in refusing to pay the present rate when the special district has made no attempt to put into force the rating provisions of the Act under which the poll was taken favoring the expenditure of the / 40,c00. Now, we commend to all people whose minds can comprehend the situation, is it not better to make a sacrifice to meet the present difficulty—seeing that no other assistance can be obtained—rather than allow the district, however undeservedly, to fall into a disgrace which will affect it more seriously than would the heaviest rate allowed by law ? If we are now refused the application made for a suspension of sinking fund on money that is tied up, will we be in any better position to obtain that relief at some future time ? In the new Parliament our position may be greatly improved, but the district will in any event have a far better case if there is an attempt to make use of the provisions of the present Act. The Board has its choice of two evils and we believe the lesser one would be to seek to put into force the provisions of the Act

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GSCCG18900717.2.5

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 481, 17 July 1890, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,150

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Thursday, July 17, 1890. THE HARBOR TROUBLE. Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 481, 17 July 1890, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Thursday, July 17, 1890. THE HARBOR TROUBLE. Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 481, 17 July 1890, Page 2

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