THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT. WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 1881.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume II, Issue 130, 13 July 1881, Page 2

THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 1881.

Those •who bave read the Financial Statement are remarkably unanimous in their opinion upon one point They say, and say rightly, that the present Ministry has succeeded in dragging the State coach out of the mud of financial difficulty ; it is true they imposed fresh taxation at the time, but now they propose to reduce it; and we know very well that the previous Ministry, even if they had levied so just an impost as the Px-operfcy Tax, would never bave dreamt of easing off the burden. That appears to be approximately the view of the public in a country district, and there can be little doubt that it, is fairly general throughout the colony. The relief to the Customs is so little that they do not attach weight to it, although they certainly regard it as a very small step in the right direction. Into the question of the reduction in expenditure, there are very few prepared to enter; besides, remembering the very active part which the House took in the matter last session, the electors feel that, at first, the Ministry -were constrained to follow, rather than lead in this matter ; since then, the people are quite willing to admit that Ministers, having seen that the country -was determined to insist upon large reductions in the cost of Government, took the hint, and boldly braved all the odium attached to a reduction of a large and influential staff of Civil servants.

In respect to the proposals re local finance, a question which has been forced upon the Government somewhat against their will, Ministers appear to have, to some extent, risen to the occasion. They have grappled' both with the construction and maintenance of roads, and have devised a somewhat intricate, but fairly workable, plan to provide funds. By the time this appears in

print, the Colonial Treasurer will have also divulged his scheme for the administration of these funds. Whatever form it may take, it is now practically certain that counties and road boards will no longer be left to do the same work; that the conflict of authority which throughout both islands has caused so much extra expense and consequent loss to the ratepayers, will be done away with. Whether the Colonial Treasurer will attempt to join a number of delegates from road boards, and thus form county councils, as has been frequently proposed, or not, remains to be seen. Tn any case, it appears that there are to "be Waste Land Districts, Licensing Districts, Hospital and Charitable Aid Districts, Sheep and Cattle Districts, and Fencing Districts — in any comprehensive scheme of Local Government, all these bodies must somehow be joined together. Let the name be what it may, the functions appertaining to these are all pre-eminently of a local character, and ai*e entirely out of place in the House of Representatives. The powers proposed are too extended, no doubt, for road boards, probably also for county councils, but not by any means too extended for a joint council selected from among members of City Councils, Town Boards, County Councils, and Road Boards. It is some such consolidation of local government that the country expects, and the House will try hard to provide.