The News. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1880. COUNTY EXPENDITURE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 75, 29 December 1880, Page 2

The News. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1880. COUNTY EXPENDITURE.

Some four weeks ago we published a summary of the County Council expen» ditnre during the past three years. It showed that during that term about £41,000 bad passed through the books of the Council, and that the whole of it, •with the exception of abouJ .£9 cash in b&nd, had heen expended. At C&6 meeting of the Council, several members commented upon the apparent excess of expenditure which had been incurred south of the Patea River, and we now propose to tabulate the expenditure in a form whwtt mil render it. easy to make a rough comparison, accepting in each case the figures set down in the statement of account presented to us by the chairman,

and covering the term from January, 1877, to September, 1880. Receipts. Hawera Riding — Licenses ... ... £1103 Subsidies ... ... 1137 Rates ... ... 1249 ; £3489 Otoia Riding — Licenses ... ... 1123 Snbsidies ... ... 1380 Bates ... ... 1533 1 4036 \ ■Waverley Riding — ' Licenses ... ... 715 Subsidies ... ... 758 Bates ... ... 1120 3593 £11,118 1 Expenditure. Hawera Riding — Public works contracts £2877 Day labor ... ... 970 £3857 Otoia Hiding — I Public works contracts 2823 Day labor ... ... 962 3785 Waverley Biding — Public works contracts 4949 Day labor ... ... 1934 6883 \ J£14,525 , i For the sake of simplifying the above abstract, shillings and pence have been omitted in every case. From the above ' statement, it would appear that if each riding had been compelled to rely upon its own resources from raies aud licenses, Otoia Riding would have had £2656, Hawera Riding i' 2352, and Waverley Riding £1835, to exjiend during the term. A consideration of the accounts themselves shows, however, that Waverley KMing had an expenditure on roads and bridges of £6883, Hawera £3557, and, Otoia £3785. But in addition to this expenditure, £2668 was expended in the hospital in the Otoia Riding, of which £700 was voted by the Council out of county fuuds ; and to the Hawera Riding £300 was voted in like manner to the Road Board, and £50 to the Hawera Institute.

We have nothing whatever to say ag&nisk fche expenditure tabulated above. It has been voted and expended with the consent of the Council, and if one portion of the county has secured a larger portion of the expenditure than it would seem to bave \>een entitled to, we should be prepared to assume that some special reasons existed for the favorable treatment which has been accorded to it. Unfortunately for this theory, however, at the meeting of the Council at which these accounts "were presented, all the councillors from the northern end of the county seemed astounded at the amount of expenditure which had been secured by the Waverley Riding. In fact, until these riding accounts had been prepared, it would appear that the principle of distribution was in a great measure a matter of chance, and the riding which possessed the best special pleaders and the most energetic or importunate applicants for works was likely to secure, and may have succeeded in securing, the greater part of the expenditure.

It is not now worth while attempting to decide whether or not in the past a fair proportion of funds have been expended in each part of the county. If "Waverley Riding has been exceptionally fortunate, and has been able to secure a lion's share of the money, so much the better for it, and so much the worse for the rest. So far as we can see, the advantage might have rested with any other riding, as all appear to have started equal. It is evident, that to secure a fair distribution of the funds throughout the county, the amount contributed by each should be known, and the expenditure incurred within each riding should be separately entered. If this were done Councillors would know how the accounts of each riding stood, and could regulate then: expenditure accordingly.

The ordinary argument adduced against any such separate entry of accounts, is that it tends to induce a practical splitting up of the county into ridings, and to foster local jealousies and a narrow spirit in dealing with county money. There is no reaso» -why ik should ho so ; the councillors of any two ridings are still at liberty to combine, and to compel any knot of obdurate couucillors from one riding to contribute a full share towards any expenditure which a majority of the council regard as be'ng to the general advantage, whether the place where the money is to be spent, be within or without the boundaries of the objecting ridmg. It is quite possible for a riding to be so situated that no county expenditure should be incurred within its boundaries, and yet to have its local wants in respect to country roads attended to. For instance, a riding might be situated parallel and adjacent to a couaiy road, which served as au outlet for evevy settler -within it, but -which did not actually traverse any portion of the riding. In such a case, a double expenditure within the adjoining riding would satisfy all ratepayers.

It is generally admitted that every owner of property has a. right to expect to derive a direct benefit from any rates contributed by him in respect to property rated for local purposes. The advantage may be scarcely appreciable, and the pressure of circumstances may require that he shall wait until a number of others have first been served before his turn comes round. According to this theory-, the councillors are simply trustees for the ratepayers. Honest trustees are always anxious to let every item of expenditure be placed clearly before those for whom they are acting ; and whenever a division of income among several branches of a family is required, the preparation of a

clear statement of the share due to each, after the expenses of management have been deducted, is found to harmonise rather than disturb the family relations. If, as sometimes happens, the legal amount due -to one of the poorer or younger branches is too small to support the family, the facts set forth by the figures of < the trustees constitute the strongest possible appeal to the generosity of the richer branches. The trustees oi the ratepayers in the county council for the Hawera riding would do well to move — That separate accounts, showing the receipts and expenditure within each riding, shall be kept, and a monthly abstract he prepared for each nieeCing of the council.