The Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. MONDAY, APRIL 8, 1878.

Inangahua Times, Volume V, Issue 36, 8 April 1878, Page 2

The Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. MONDAY, APRIL 8, 1878.

T^tis following romarks upon tho County fiyatcm and its working will, wo think, bo readily ondoraod ns tho experienced Raincil of t|)o operation of tho Act: — "Wo mado reforonco in the«o columufj tho other day (oaya the Napier Telegraph) to Mr -ftftfcanxlroVß f'xpreßflod dealro to hco ii return, in n modiflod form, of Provincial inntitutioriH, and we hoped that' that wiah would find an echo throughout tho ( Colony. Sinco Abolition 'bocamo an nceotnpliohed fact, it lias boon tho custom to regard tho resuscitation of Provincialism ns an impossibility, and some of tho onoo moat ardent sup* porters of tho fallon infititntion liavo ■quito given up all hope of such a return, Mr Macandrow'o statpmont, however, fit tho Dunedin banquot is calculated to bring about a change of feeling, more especially in thono poiv tions of tho country wlioro no benefit has been deriyed from tho County form of government, an well as in those distriotn that from tho first havo refused to bring tho wholo of tho Counties Act into operation. It is quito true that Provincialism, as if, wao known in tho past, can never bo rovived, for by tho convention of tho Land Jfund into Colonial liovonuo, tho nolo means on which tho old Provinces depondod have been taken away. But as a nourco of rcvenuo has boon created for tlio Counties, so might a similar power bo oxtonded to Provinces. Ifc in quito clear that tho existing system of in» tornal administration cannot continue, for, if no other objection could bo raised against it;, its cost is sufficient to condemn it, Tho coat, howovor, is not tbo most fatal objection that has been diacvorcd during tho short cxpori* enco tho Colony has had of its working. The Hystom affords no capacity for the ■Counties to grapple with suddon difficulties thnt may arise; and all remote diffieuKiofi tho aystom (;ivo3 oncourngoiiKiut to ignore. Thia, perhaps, in duo to tho, fact that thoro \h no rosponaibility nttaehod to tlio County executive, if indeod tho (Jomieil, or ito Chairman, o.txu bo dignified by that namo ; thoro is no ono specially appointed to sec thafc tho rcaolutionn of tho Council nva onforcod or carried out, nnd if nothing in done thorp ifi no one to blame. With a paid Council, having ita ftalaried Chairman, it ia probable moro interest is taken in public mattors, nnd that tho.intoreats of tho rataijayors aro moro cloaolycoiiHullcd than thoy avo when a body of gcnllcraon givro thoir porvioos gratuitously. In tho Hawko'« Day Provincial District, tho Ihroo County Chairs tnon aro unpaid, so wo cannot say anything an to tho amount of onorgy thoy would throw into thoir solf impoflod tasks if thoy received romunoraM lion for thoir work. It is ovidont, howovor, that tho few hours attention devoted to businoso oneo a month lias not provod of any material advantago to tho Conntios conoornod."