In colonial times harbour-board politics could be extreme. Every town knew that its future depended on matching or exceeding its rivals’ facilities. When the first stone was laid for New Plymouth’s harbour in February 1881, the townsfolk were given a holiday and the politicians and other worthies pontificated for all they were worth, as the Taranaki Herald’s report made clear.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past
Reference:
Taranaki Herald, 8 February 1881, p. 2
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