The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 1887.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4935, 9 June 1887, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 1887.

i To Norih Islanders, the Lyttelton /Times, in the expression of its political sentiments,' • iS'exij'eedingly comic. It is so fuiiny" ih itsbeliefs," and with all so simple and earnest, some' of its leading, articles in praise of Ministers r ea d almost like a chapter out. .of Alice in The Lyttelton Times is an ably .conducted, paper, but «)«iehow ( or another' it has 1 consistently, been' m the wrong side of politics; We ghoidd not like to see it change 'found, however, because then wo should miss one of our happiest sources of enjoyment in the ordinarily -dull routine of opening,, pur exchanges. _ .We' always look fbr ! something original in', the leading columns of our Christchuroh con-; temporary, and we are rarefy'disappointed.' What can be more delightfully fresh, n,otto say verdant, than the touching simplicity of" its faith in .the beneficence of Mr Balance's''native''policy P Wo do not suppose that the Times knows more of North Island Maoris than it does of the Patagonians; and hence it is enabled to exercise that breadth of thought apd freedom of diction that Mark Twain speaks of in'refereneo to- journalists who have. to write, articles on subjects of " Whicli. they are prbfdundly'igTibraiit; On : : all other.questions hot affecting Ministerial administration oi lands and native affairs, ; the TimqSjspeaks vigorously;,, and appeals to the common sense of'its readers: that; the two sides of its character irresistibly re-, mind one of the " Strange" experiences '■ pf Dr. Jekyll and of Mr Hyde," so. ably told by Mr R. L.' Stevenson. But it Would not be,fair to our able contemporary if we made • these remarks without giving a' sample of its comicalities. In one of its late issueslast. Saturday^—speaking of the| administration and policy., of the , present" Government, it says :—" The GOvernrhent on the .. other "side 'have been confromthe first day theyi took office to the present "time."'.: They have: pushed the .development of the public resoui-ces in a time of the worst stagnation the Colony has ever known; that through that time they •have kept a cheerful spirit is not: the i smallest of their claims to the public support.:.. They refrained from crushing taxation, finding " expedients which have injured nothing but the envious tempers of their'opponents.. The great-cause of retrenchment owes to them itsfir&t:real per-..j ;manent ihstahnent, ■ -and pub}io;.;i li6rz-ow'ing'' taporing. .Fairness, has been talceii 'hy;them:;Out ,of the'ranga of party, and applied .to-,the .general round i?f public affairs;, .Having said, they wpuld \tsejtlo. people■'■ bu,7the land, ,they, can' .point/ toV.Aiundreds juhpn;hundreds of families living in aictual.. prosperity or -well-, grounded hope for the future; Having dojustice,and jn the.l

native policy, aud the banishment of.■ land sharking from tho native lands, they do their business with one policeman, and the land sharks are their enemies, tint the native' owners are their, friends. They are tho first Government since the Treaty 'of Waitangi which has done justice to the Maori.'* All this is very funny in ■ the light of the expoaures that have been made of the'gross extravagance of the Government, their attempt to impose a crushing taxation, the terrible mess looming up in the near future in connection with the settlement of penniless people on beggarly strips of poor pumpkin-growing country, and the denunciation of their" native policy by every one capable of understanding the mischievous effect it will have on the progress of the colony, and tho sullen ill-feeling it has created amongst the natives.

a cheque"for £567 being'an.'instalment'* oil

£100 votedTheolerkof the Porangahuu and Wallingford Road Boards forwarded copies of balance-sheet for last year. Mossrs Sainsbury and Logan gavo their opinion that tho Council was not entitled to hand over to the Kaikora Town Board any proportion of publicans' license fees paid in June, IRBS. A longthy correspondence was read which had passed between the chairman and tho Colonial Secretary re tho £5000 loan, which evontuated in the clerk reporting that the £5000 had been placed to credit, the inscription and interest dating from Ist February

last. The following' moneys had been paid to credit by the Treasury :—Crown land rates £95 Ss 9d, subsidy £221 lfis od, goldfields' revenue 10s,' subsidy on Oero rates £250, native rates £09 2s Sd. Ke'ristrar-Ge loralasked for certain statistics for year ending March last. Tho chairman explained that the Overseer had found that Mr Handyside was fencing in his run near Herbertville, which included a county road as at present formou. He had dealt with tho matter as it required immediate attention, having- arranged with Mr lluidyside to deviate slightly from the old survey line as proposed. A potition from 20 landowners and lessees of Crown Lands, out of a possible 31, asked that a road by Managarriahiro Creole, and passing through Mr Herbert's land to tho function with Wainui-Tahoraite road, and via Wainui Valley to Herbertville, be declared a main road, aud taken over and opened by the Council, being moro central and of benefit to a large population. The clerk said it had been referred back for verification, but was now completed and in order. Mr Crosse explained : that • there was already a road, but it was impassible'; tho settlers mostly new comers. Mr' Hunter saw no objection to' its being declared a count/ road, but he would not encourage much" expense upon it. Mr * McHardy moved that its consideration bo postponed until a road through the Natiye landsjbe' acquired by Government and gazetted. -Hesaid it would be a very expensive road to make. The clerk oxplained tho present position of the question, and said the Chief Surveyor said it would devolvo upon tho Council'to acquire the road, but the Government would have to make it.—Seconded by Mr Warren-and carried. • A petition from "52 ratepayers of Po'ran»-«-hau riding, asked that the present County road from the Porangahau township to Canning's gate, via, the hill, bo abandoned in favor of a more level line of route along the valley of Porangahau river •is far as Oakbourno station, thonce by the existing road to the point known as Cannings corner, as the steep grading of the ro'trl over Porangahau hill precludes any possibility of that lino of route being of -ocrmanont service for wheel traffic, and further, that during the winter months communication.is practically cut oft tor vehicles. They prayed that a survey and estimate of cost of the most favorable line of route by the river be made without delay and that steps bo undertaken for the opening up aud construction Qf the same Ou the'motion of Messrs Hunter and Crosse it was resolved that a survey be made and an estimate of cost prepared at .the cost of tho riding, and that Mr F. R. Duncan make tho survey on the terms sub-: mittud in his letter. ' ' _ The Road Overseer's report was read, recommending a re-survey of portions of 'th« Wainui track; that a deviation be made at that a roadmen s hut be erected n-ar Herbertville, &c. On the motion of Cr. Crosse, the plan of ' the Handyside deviation was accepted, and a surveyor to be sent down to complete the °On the motion of Crs. Crosse and Hunter, £25 was voted for a. roadman's whare at Onthe motion of Crs. Crosse and Hunter, a second roadman was ordered to bo placed . on the Wainui track -for four months. On the motion of Crs. Crosse and Warren, a survey was ordered to be made of a , proposed deviation over Telegraph Spur on the Wainui road. , On the motion of tho Chairman and Cr. Crosse Mr F. R. Duncan was appointed surveyor and engineer for the county. On tho motion of Crs. McHardy and Hunter Mr Ross to be instructed to deter completing plan of Waitukai road deviation ; until next meeting of Council. On the motion of Crs. McHardy and Warren, the £250 standing-to .credit of - Oero Road Board was ordered to be paid. The pay-sheets for quarter were passed Tho Chairman reported that ho had at- ■ tended the meetings of the Charitable Aid . Board, which had voted £500 for distabu- ■ tionin the county, and a payment of £2 per month had been made to a person at . Kaikora. He thought no moneys should ] be naid by any local body to applicants for i Sief and mo/ed that the clerk be appointed , reneving officer, as an independent officer . toiecciro and deal with all cases of distress, but profiting by information given by members. Seconded by Mr Warren, and

authorised to sue for all rates duo; and a number of amendments were made in the valuation roll. A special meeting was held when the bylaws were passed aud ordered to be confirmed at next quarterly mooting. _ 'Notice was ordered to bo given ot the intention to strike a rate of -|d m the £ payable on 30th January next. . • Mr Johnson's resignation as returning officer was accepted. .. . The following tenders were received for the erection of the. Tamumu bridge >>- Sl4 Bdi J«. n SwL (Masterton , £4827 08 Gd; H. Carlson (Daneyirke), £.mG 12s ; H. McKenzie and Sons (Dunedin £43- 3 17s 10d; A. McKay (Tamumu), lis- Clifford and O'Connor (WanSm), £1785 0s 8d; Henderson and (Danevirke), £5039; A. Watson (WaipuUau) £4984 is 4d; T. H. Downs (Dunedm), £j540 los. Mr" Carr to be consulted relative to appointment of a clerk of the works, and if required the Chairman to deal with the matter. ■