Hawkes's Bay Herald. MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1877.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XX, Issue 3905, 23 April 1877, Page 2

Hawkes's Bay Herald. MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1877.

Lieut - Colonel Whitmore, in his letter on the county .system, published in our issue of Friday last, AA-hich certainly puts AA'hat is to be said on his side of the question in an exhaustive manner, admits the necessity for an alteration of tlie Counties Act, so as to confer upon the county the jWAver of imposing a " separate" rate for district roads, in districts which either do not rate themselves at all, or do it inadequately. The necessity for some such amendment appears iioav to be admitted on all hands, as also the necessity for an amendment alloAving the Government to impose rates on counties which refuse to carry out county works. Tlie latter necessity is felt more in some parts of the South Island at present, than it is here. Lieut.-Colonel Whitmore, however, still objects to the merging of the road boards in the county, being- of opinion that highly rated and highly valued districts like Clivo have all to lose and nothing to gain by making a common purse Avith districts like Patea or Pohui. He argues tliat the Clive ratepayers would run the risk of having the moneys raised in their district expended in making roads to such districts as those mentioned. We had to ansAver similar arguments in the discussions which arose a month or tAvo ago, in reference to the adoption of the limited Act. It AA'as then urged by Lieut.-Col. Whitmore, that if the full poAvers were taken, the county might find its funds expended on opening up the road to Taupo. Tlie reply was obvious, A'iz., that there Avas not a .single member of the Council, with the possible exception of the Petane member, avlio Avould advocate such an expenditure, and that he could not out\'ote the rest. Similarly, we may iioav reply that anyone who glances at the constitution ofthe County Council will see, at once, that the Patea and Pohui interests are not strongly enough represented there to carry any proposals for disproportionate expenditure. The danger indeed, if there is any danger, is all the other way, viz., that the outlying districts would not get justice done them. We belieA'e, hoAA r ever, that, when things have been got into working order, the principle would come to be universally accepted, as it is, Aye are informed, in Victoria, that the money raised Avithin any riding should be expended within it, antl then matters will proceed as smoothly here as they do there. We are not prepared to .say that it would be desirable that all the road boards in the proA-incial district should he abolished. Tlie Woodville Road Board, for instance, maintains roads which are used, almost exclusiA-ely, by tlie ratepayers in the district, and, if it ceased to exist, it is doubtful Avhcthor the county Avould consent to expend any large jiroportion of its general funds upon them. The Clive and Meanee roads, on the contrary, are used by half the ex-piwince, and are roads, the onus of maintaining which, it seems to us, ought to fall on the comity.

A correspondent "N.," in another column, points out what Aye cannot help thinking is a fatal fIaAV in the calculations given in the letter of another correspondent "M.," some days ago in regard to tho valuations of sheep runs, vi?.. , that tlie increase is not taken into account. Tho answer may be returned that if allowance were made for the increase, the land would be made to carry more than 1000 sheep, which is contrary to the hypothesis. But surely that reply would not hold good if Aye suppose that the increase, or rather a number proportionate to the increase is sold annually. Altogether, it scorns to us, that " M." makes out a great deal too strong a case for his own side. If it is true that tho sheepfarmers of this province are making only a hundred a year out of every thousand sheep, a glance at | the numbers possessed by each, as given in the returns appended to the report of the Inspector of Sheep published in \ another column — taken in connection with ' what is generally known with regard to their affairs — will make it evident that many of them, who are universally knoAvn to bo very well off, are not making as much out of their properties as they have to pay away annually in interest on money borroAved.