THE GREY COUNTY COUNCIL.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXIII, Issue 3917, 18 March 1881, Page 2

THE GREY COUNTY COUNCIL.

■''•' ; |to the editor. J :■'■'■ Sir^— ln one ' ofMyonr issues of this week you suggested .that it would be better if the General government would assume control of public works in the Grey district, or fornftnV whole of the West.Coast^f the.Middlels^diptoione County, or^^vinc^Jon; flic ground tEat ,publi& mpnejrja bging .s^aniered away in the payment of a;, number of petty officials* whose services courdbd/well dttpensed. : with. Now,' Sirpl folly' agtfe with your yiew.of .the oiatter, and, instead of creating '"new Counties,, as the people of the Grey^ / VaMej t> aice i tryliig' tb do, they should petition the Government to abolish Vhe'eilatitig qnea.' A petition te Parlian¥ent; v to that parpose would be Bigne<|"by a large majority in the Grey district.' Local gojetnmenty as far/Ss it applies to, the Countjrsystem on the Coast, has bsen a faille. „W, We t have amon^tis too many unscrupulous adventurers, who shove themselves forward through selfish motives, and who generally succeeds in becoming members of those bodies, for them to be a success.^ Ever since the adoption, of the. County, system jn^&e Grey distrfct t^e 7 ha«;been nothing frat party strife." One" party, 'who is evar Srying - fd| -'fair: "play,, } ITa^Mc&ded fcrougb We u TakeWarmn ( elß of ihe other garty in always keeping a majority in the ouncil, and,Uo show' h'6# T fair ; they 'can play, they, hduied 1 them^ltWiih nice comfortable fillets. The other party had to standout )n the.co^d, with their hands in their pocket^.' Travel from one end of the County to,thS 'o^Qwr and you will find no one em||Byed r bjat of their own party, unless in^|d;ini||toceß, on contract works ? where, they couild r> no.^ pouibW 'help'l^itin^^e IqwesjjtenderlftaVie it. |lt is the habft to charge* co^raetoift the sum of LI 12a <bef ore they are allowed to sign the contract bonds. I know instances where this amount had to be paid *here the^rice'Wthe contract did' not amount to L3O. It is alleged by Ac County Chairman 1 that eleV'eh shillings of this amount go to~pay for stamps, while the Oth'et guinea goes to pay .a aoucltbr 'ja. Hokitika for getting:; the aocum^ts Btan>pe'd. :^aj; th^re hVndra^.ooj'tracts let In the year ; one 4 hundred guineas to the solicitor yinv in Hpkitlia— ln'eky Bolicifor, unfortunate : con tractors and p»b!ic; 1 '$& al^o* infteed'4hat there 'is no record kept: by ; iherjCounty of those amounts. This is something the County Auditor toqlook- to; ; Then there is the paytoent of members for ordinary- and general meetings, and other necessary expenses too numerous to detail. Now, Sir, what I would saggeat is as follows :— Let the: boundaries of the Counties remain as they are ; let the General Government assume control of all public works j. lejt . each. County Jb^e credited with the amouiit . df' revenue rojse in it— rates dr other revenue — such amounts' to be spent within the' County where raised. - We have ahready a number of General Government . engineers fiatid surveyors in the district, who have little or nothing to do, who could do all the work' ol; the County as well as their own work 'with ease. To support two e'ifgfneeriug establishmeßts in this distriot any longer is too ridiculous to be thoagfcof. I thißk our politicians could initiate: a system, of Government on the x&bova basis, which would be far more s.uiiab^ for thisj district then the one we^jir^At present laboring under. In conclusion I would recommend; the above,tq the^, consideration of yourself and those gentlemen who are taking: steps ta; create janother. County in ; the Grey Yrfley. Although the suggestions thrown but above *re crude in themselves, I^msure they could be put into practickl snape by ibeswho study such matters^ A- pet^dn on -the ab6ve basis, to be presented at: the 'iomiiig meeting of 1 Parliament, * ■ wowd meet^fth general favor in W'*^» Valley atleasV" . ■■>- l j>™ » ™^>i -* Trusting you will insert the above in your journal, and that you will give your valuable assistance in the matter. la<&&Q., - ':■■*' :;-£ ? '?v' Economy.