(Evening Post.) FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 1879.

Evening Post, Volume XVII, Issue 547, 27 June 1879, Page 2

(Evening Post.) FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 1879.

THE GOVERNMENT AND THE COUNTY COUNCILS. ? Th* reply given by Mr. Maoandbew to the deputation from the County Councils of Manawatu and Wairarapa East and West, which waited on him yesterday to ask that £25,000 might be placed on the estimates for the repair and maintenance of the road through, the Seventy-mile Bush will, no doubt, attract considerable attention throughout the Colony. It brings people face to face with, a great difficulty, and to do that was evidently the object of the Minister of Public Works. In plain terms Mr. Macandrew stated that applications for assistance to the extent of £200,000 had already been received from County Councils throughout the Colony, that each regarded its own case as an exceptional one, but that if any one of these applications was complied with, fully a million of money would be required during the ensuing year to provide for works all equally entitled to consideration. This ia certainly far from a pleasant state of affairs. As to the Seventy-mile Bush road, it is an undoubted hardship to the Connty Councils cf Manawatu and Wairarapa East and West, that they have to maintain it, for by far the greater portion of its length passes through, native or unsold land which cannot be taxed for its maintenance. The property within the three Comities which can be thus taxed is almost all so situated as to derive little or no benefit from the use of the road. It would be really much more equitable to rate the City of Wellington and the town of Napier for the repair of this road than to rate the lower valley of the Wairarapa or the country in and about JFoxton for it. These places want roads of their own, and it matters not to them whether this main line is in good repair or not. The line is essentially a trunk line — a line connecting Wellington with Wanganui on the one hand, and with Napier on the other. The counties through which it passes have little interest in it, and yet they are legally chargeable -with ite xaaintenonce. We believe, however, that Mr. MACANDRBW is perfeotly right in saying that this case, whatever its hardship, is no isolated one. There are scores of similar cases elsewhere throughout the colony, and it is now very evident that the Government is not disposed to give the slightest assistance ia any one of these cases, and is not in a position to do it even if disposed. Mr. Maoandrew, looking back upon the palmy days of Provincial administration in Otago, may well indulge in a quiet chuckle over the difference brought about by the policy of Abolition, against which he fought so strenuously. That he does so is evident from his remarks yesterday, when he said "those who advocated Abolition solemnly assured us that in the political millenium which was about to dawn the words 'roads' or 'bridges' never would be breathed within the walls of Parliament, but now I am afraid that unless we take care we shall hear of little else. I hope, however, that we shall not degenerate into a mere Scramble in the Legislature." If further proof of Mr. Macandbbw's feeling in this respect should be needed, it is to be found is the terms of the letter which he read to the depntation, as the stereotyped reply sent to all requests similar to theirs, it runs — "the Government is unable to comply witk your request, as it opens up tho whole question of local self-govern-ment as determined by the Legislature in the Abolition of Provinces Act. It is evident that unless the functions which have been devolved by statute upon County Councils and other local bodies are to be assumed by the Colony, the numerous applications which are being made of a similar nature to that submitted by you,cannot be entertained." As Mr. Macandkbw puts it, the whole question of selfgovernment as now existing is opened up. It is very evident that the Counties are not,! as at present constituted, capable of per- 1 forming their functions. The Government will not, and cannot help them. The Legislature, as Mr. Maoandeew properly points out, would never dream of giving borrowing powers for any other purpose than the construction of roads and bridges. The Counties are manifestly not in a condition to raise the sums required for maintenance and repair by local taxation. The injustice of such a tax would render its collection impossible. Mr. Macandrew did not say so yesterday, but he clearly meant to put it unmistakably that the whole system of ! Connty Government as by law establised | has broken down, and that the local selfGovernment, which has supplanted the Provincial form of administration, has proved a lamentable failure. A good many, even of those who most earnestly supported Abolition, will probably now be disposed to agree with Mr. Macabdrew. We would remind him, however, that he is now a Minister of the Colony, and that, although as an ex-Superintendent he may fairly say, "Ah 1 I told you so," it is now his duty in common with hia colleagues to grapple with the present difficulty, and endeavour to provide a remedy. He expressed a desire to see the people brought face to faoe with the real facts, and taught by them self-denial and self-reliance. So far, this is well, but the Government mnst also face the difficulty, and the people are entitled to look to the Ministry to lead them, and to devise measures for improving matters. We shall wait anxiously to see what the Government proposes in this I direction.