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Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 50, 24 June 1875, Page 5

The Balclutha Town Council are at present engaged in what seems likely to prove a very arduous and complicated investigation. They are making an attempt to discover the extent and present position of the various sections of land which have from time to time been set apart by the Government for behoof" of the Municipality. If former Councils had done tneir duty and conducted their business in a business-like manner, this shoula have been a very simple matter, as full particulars and maps of all these would have been prepared and recorded for reference at any time. As the matter stands,, however, it is found when an investigation is commenced, that no authentic record whatever of these has been kept, and the whole matter is in utter confusion. Some of these reserves appear to have been Crown-granted to the Superintendent, but never conveyed over to> the Council. Others have been gazetted as reserves but never Crown-granted to anyone, while some have been set apart by resolution of the Provincial Council, or the Superintendent, and merely colored on some map or other to indicate that they have been reserved from sale. But apparently there are more than one Tecord map and upon these separate maps it not unfrequently occurs that the same section is set apart for very different purposes — some for railway, some for Municipal, and other purposes. In one case, that of the 80---acre paddock on the north side of the riyer, the reserve is marked upon one map as having been set apart for public purposes for the inhabitants of Balclutha, and yet it now appears it is General Government property; the Government refuse to recognise it as having been set apart for any such purpose, and' decline to hand it over to the Corporation. Tbis is a very unpleasant position of affairs both as regards the ratepayers and the Town Council, seeing that the latter body recently resolved to" have , this section fenced in with a view to leasing it for

; . . —; —■„ ;j —ryy -yy y^ t^t . ~ frev^nue purpo's^ahd at" their meeting on: Bight' passed; thr^ccotint For theworkj^amouritihg to about £120. While on former Councils resri the Responsibility '{ot th'^sfate of confusion; into which the Municipal Reserves appear to be, it' \^riir be diflicult. for the. present members" of: Council to convince the ratepayers that they have not been to blame regarding the serious waste of public money they have incurred. It is no answer tb express the hope that the Government will grant them the occupation of the ground for a length of time sufficient to admit.of their reimbursing the ratepayers the sum they have in error paid out of their funds. The Government may do this, and we hope and believe they will, but councillors had no right to run this risk or thus speculate with public money. We believe they did with the very best intention, that in the course they pursued they simply intended to increase the revenues and advance the interests of the township, but the fact remains that unless the Government extend towards the Council a clemency it is not entitled to claim, £120 is thrown away. And they will be regarded by many as without excuse in the matter. True, upon some map or other the ground was marked as reserved for public purposes, but by whom was it so marked, or supposing to have been done in a constitutional manner, was this in itself sufficient warrant for the Council, without any enquiry whatever into the matter to expend so krge a sum ? We are bound to say that we have a higher conviction of the common sense and business habits of tho members of Council individually than for a moment Ito believe they would have so acted with their own private estate. They would have first enquired into the se curity of the title, and finding it correct, would then have commenced improvements. This is exactly what they should have done as Councillors, and unless they bring the same amount of thought, tact, and prudence to bear in j their actions on behalf of the public, as they do in their own private affairs, they cannot expect either to avoid such irregularities, or to retain the confidence of their constituents. We have written thus plainly, because we believe the interests of the public demand that we should do so. It will gratify none more than it will rejoice us to see the Council get over the present contretemps with credit to themselves and profit to the public, and we hope that no occasion will again arise for our being obliged to refer to any such matter. It may be necessary to add that in our reference to the irregularities in the matter of the reserves, no blame whatever attaches to the Town Clerk, than whom we believe a more careful and efficient officer does not exist.