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Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XX, Issue 3906, 24 April 1877, Page 2

We liave, on several occasions, pointed out the desirableness of an amendment of the Counties Act, giving the County Councils power to rate outlying districts. Mr Sutton, in the course of his remarks at Clive yesterday, pointed out that, to some extent, at least, a power of this kind might be said to be already available. The provincial Highways Act, which is still in force, gives such a power to the Superintendent, and the Superintendent'spowersnow vest in the Governor. Tliu question is, would Hie Governor — that is, of course, the (<<»vurmnc:nt— if applied to by the County Council, exercise this power in the case of any outlying district, "which ought to have rated itself, but has not. Mr Sutton thinks it would. It might, at any rate, be worth trying. How would it be, however, in regard to districts which do rate themselves, but rate themselves inadequately.

If the clause in the Highways Act would not meet their case, and we conceive that it would not, the powers it might be made to confer would not be much worth exercising. We doubt, too, whether it is applicable to districts which, though gazetted, have never brought the Act into operation. It would, no doubt, apply to several districts in the Hawko's Bay County — Pakowhai, Koenerako and Pukalm, for instance — which have once been under the jurisdiction of road boards, though, of late, they have fallen back into the condition of outlying districts.