Evening Post. FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 1877.

Evening Post, Volume XV, Issue 144, 22 June 1877, Page 2

Evening Post. FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 1877. '

Wa think that his Worship the Mayor is F: perfectly right in protesting against the action vpfiich' the Gleneral Govcfnmc'n't -have thought proper to take with respect to the city boundaries., It is the business of the City Council "to look' after, the proper laying out of streets,' forming of drains, and other sanitary requirements. The Mayor applies to the' Government to extend' the boundaries 'bt the city so as ;to include therein, the Thorndon reclamation and other portions of land ; and foreshore, thereby bringing them under municipal jurisdiction. This Is surely a just, and reasonable request. The reclamation is not yet finished, but already the necessity exists for forming certain footpaths on it, a work which the Corporation is asked by the Government to perform ' and pay" the cost of. Yet, while the !, Government make this cool request— while they, ask the Corporation "to. take charge of the reclaimed land forming the road within the line of Lambton Quay and the approach to the Railway Station by Pipitea Point" — they at the same time positively decline to extend the boundaries of the city so as to bring the land in question. under municipal control,, and render it liable to the payment of rates. In other words, the Corporation are asked to spend the money of people who do pay rates in improving property which is not rated at all. " Why do the Government," pertinently demands his Worr ship, " not make the improvements at their own charge,, if they persist in regarding this land as pnvate_property, and deny the right of the Corporation to exorcise control over it 1" The allegation of the Government is that it would be inadvisable to extend the city boundaries in the manuer required " until the work of reclamation has been completed, and a determination has teen come to as to the final disposal of the laud." So, at least, writes Dr. Pollen. Now this is the veriest red-tapery and humbug. To include the land within the city boundaries just now would in no way aft'oct the question of its ultimate disposal. That is an entirely separate and distinct question, havipg nothing in common with the other. Nor does the fact of the reclamation being still unfinished afford any reason for declining to comply with his Worship's request. The truth appears to be that some ill-feeling has sprung up between the General Government and his Worship the Mayor. Whose fault that is we do not exactly know. Formerly the Mayor was conciliatory towards the Government, even to the verge of sycophancy, aud things worked very smoothly indeed. At that time, however, the Mayor had some prospect of getting into the Assembly, and it was worth the while of the Ministry to make much of him. Now the state of affairs is altogether changed. His Worship lost his election, and his influence with Ministers is altogether gone. They lose no opportunity of snubbing and thwarting him, and iv doing so they make the interests of the municipality suffer. His Worship naturall/ resents this and shows fight,

but it is an almost hopeless business this making assaults upon the circumlocution off Wand attempting to force barnacles of the Pollen stamp into business-like and pradticaT action--^ In this matter the Mayor ia absolutely right,/ and the Ministry absolutely wrong. ' It is,' therefore, the 1 duty of the ratepayers to sup-. port the foiaier in his demand for justice to the city.

After all that had been said and done, Mr. H. J. Duncan Has now definitely decided not toContest .the election for the Wairarapa seat. This will cause much disappointment to many of his supporters. Mr. Duncan has been rather late in finally making up his mind. It is possible another candidate will come forward, and Mr. Buckley has been spoken of as an eligible party. [Since -writing the foregoing, we learn that overtures have been made to Mr. P. A. Buckley, requesting him to come forward as a candidate. It is understood that Mr. Buckley may do so should he receive suf- ? ficient encouragement from the constituency.]