The Daily Telegraph. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1892.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 6373, 8 February 1892, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1892.

Lord Salibbuby, in his Exeter Hull i-peecb, according to our catOegranit- on Saturday, ridiculed the idea of Parish Cuui.eils, ou the ground that they would only increase the umount of lucal rates. TVo "re sorry i.ord Balisbury has taken so decided a si.>ii'i on ihitt question, as there cau be no douut that there is room for radical reform iv piirii-h administration. Under the existing «y«tein rur<tl atfairs are iniiaaged by Vo; tries and Bo irSa of tf iiardian?. There are about tbiifceeu. thousand parishes in !i> ;!'; ; tniJ, thu spiritual requirements of v- hich are \rovidod for by the existence of. <i parish church, and a rtclnr or a vic.nr, and churchwarden. The most ini<>orUnt bus.inet.s conneoted with what ma;, be lermtd the secular or L'gal parish, im di.iunet from thfi ecc.lei-kitiottl, is pruvisim foe the poor by nvann of rates imposed iiy the ve-:ry, and i-.'.H.oUd l>y pii'isli orhVhl •■, slir maintenance of highways, and ottirr nml-rer:-connected with the iidiumistr uion oc parochial affairs. Fur the purpose of adminUttriiig the Poor ' ay/, p Irishes iin generally grouped iutc>u:.ii;iiH, th« 3 management of which is entrusted to elected and unpaid officials known as Guardians of the Poor. The idea of Parish Councils to take th.j place of the Vestries and Boards of Guardians emanated from the National Liberal Association in tbe form of a circular which formed the basis of the discus-uon at the great conference held in London on Dtoember 10th. This Conference v> as called together by the leaders of the Liberal Party, and comprised nearly five hundred delegates from the agricultural oenires of England. The proposal dirou.vu'l was the establishment of. Parish Counciis, tho members of which ehould be elected on the one-man-one-vote principle. The popular objection to the Vestry is that it ia presided over by the vioar and his churchwardens, whereas the people ir. agricultural districts are for the most part dissenters, und the plural vote precludes their representation on that body. The Board of Guardians, again, is composed of Justices of the Peace, and the local landed gentry. It is proposed to substitute for these two bodies the Parish Council, elected on a representative basis by all persons possessing a Parliamentary or County Council franchise. The hours for a Council's meetings are to bo fixed for the evening, and it is intended to enable the Council *o deal with allotments and small holdings, lands for village balls, libraries, places of worship and public buildings, etc. It will have control of parish charities, and representation in tho management of larger churities ; supervision of commons, wastes, etc.; and powers in connection with inspection of dwellings, nuisances or water supply; and the management of parish schools. The Lyttelton Times says.— " The mßtinct of self-government is utrontj in the Englishman, and the natural principle of the Conservatives, that everything should be done for the laborer finds no echo in tho breasts of men who take a competent and active part in the management of their chapeJa and benefit societies. The day wbeu the parson and the squire could rule the parish is, coming to an end. The extension of the franchise has opened the eyes of the laborer to his rights, ami he naturally asks: ' If I may vote on matters of national interest, why may I not vote ou those same matters when they affect mj self personally ?' ' If I may by my vote assist in securing free education for my children, why may I not havo a voice in the monagemenfc of the school itself?' W<< in this colouy have hardly as yet a class corresponding with the agricultural laborers of England. Our excellent system of local Government (somewhat cumbrous though it is at present) being split up into Road Boards, Town Boards, School Committees, &c, gives all claeses a very large voice in the management of public affairs. The plural vote still obtains, it ia true, but the thoroughly representative character of these institutions removes any reproach from them on that acoouut."