PERFECTION OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXXI, Issue 5602, 31 August 1875, Page 2 (Supplement)

PERFECTION OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL.

To the Editor : Sir,— It is certainly ft leather in the cap of the present Ministry that they have produced such a perfect measure as the Local Government Bill must be. For, behold, the wise man of Mauku cannot find a real defect in it. Although anxious so to do, he carried it off into his den, and there, bringing all that acumen and penetration for which he is so justly famous, to bear upon it, studied it carefully from beginning to end, but was unable to find a flaw. However, being determined to have a slap at it, and knowing irhat a very large number (?) of {your readers, take his word on any snbjeet for law, he quietly invented a couple of what he calls defects. The first respecting the rating of unoccupied lands, is a capital idea, and sure to attract the attention of country ratepayers —most of whom, being so long in the habit of allowing " Old Practical" to teach them their duty and tell them of their grievances, will at once accept the statement as a fact, and growl and fume accordingly, although any one able to read English can see at a glance that no exemption such as Sir. Crispe alludes to is made. The second objection, relative to annual meetings and the presence of ratepayers, is so ludicrously absurd to any oue who has really read the Act, that one can only believe that Mr. Crispe was either dreaming or else poking fun at the readers of his letters.— I am, &c, Toby.