THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. MONDAY, JULY 12, 1909 WAITOMO COUNTY COUNCIL.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 172, 12 July 1909, Page 2

THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. MONDAY, JULY 12, 1909 WAITOMO COUNTY COUNCIL.

IN consequence of the sad death of the late Chairman of the Waitomo County Council, Te Kuiti residents are again faced with the duty of choosing a member to fill the vacancy on the Council. In referring to the matter it is but fitting that we should pay a tribute to the memory of the late chair man. Public spirited and liberal minded to a high degree the late Mr Ormsby had the welfare of Te Kuiti town and district thoroughly at heart. In all that he undertook for the benefit of the place—and his works were legion —he evinced in his efforts a rare devo-

tion to duty,and a very clear conception of the best interests of the community. He will be greatly missed, and if we succeed in obtaining a man of equal integrity as our local representative, Te Kuiti will indeed be fortunate in its public men. The Waitomo County Council during its first term of existence was practically in its elementary stage. Established in a originally district where land settlement had barely begun, and with extensive government works in progress the Council was regarded by its promoters more as a body affording a legitimate channel for communication with the Government than as a body carrying the full responsibilities of governing and directing the various public works of the district. Since the initiation of the Council, however, conditions have been undergoing considerable changes. Settlement has largely increased and population in both town and district has gone up in leaps and bounds. The duties of the Council have correspondingly multiplied, and if the Government carry into effect the declared intention of expending roads grants through the various local bodies, it is manifest that the Waitomo County Council for several years to come must be the busiest and most progressive Council in the Dominion. A glance at last year's Estimates is sufficient to indicate the fact that if only half the amount of money is voted this year as compared with last, the oragnisation of the Council's business will be on a very extensive scale. However, we are still in ignorance of the extent to which the reorganisation of the Roads Department will affect the Council.and without the added responsibility which has been suggested there is ample scope for the best efforts of our best and most capable public men. Few districts in the Dominion can seriously claim to rival our own in natural advantages. Thousands upon thousands of acres of fertile country, much of it just responding to the first efforts of the settler; with ready access to and from the chief centres of the Dominion, and what is probably the best climate obtainable, our rural lands are destined to become rich producers while our townships occupy ideal situations as centres. The public work of the district is barely begun, and with our local bodies rests the great work of carrying out the developmental works and directing the destiny of the district on the highest and best lines. The question of finance is naturally allimportant in carrying on the work of a progressive County, and our people will require to undertake financial responsibilities of considerable magnitude in order to allow the Council to administer its functions to the best advantage. These responsibilities should not be shirked. Our district is in just that stage when the progressive spirit is esssential to its prosperity. The deplorable state of our roads and the fact that new roads have to be opened up in every direction must be apparent to all, and these are but the ordinary responsibilities which have to be met by a local body. The existence of the Native problem in our midst complicates the duties of our councillors infinitely, and the position is one which can only be satisfactorily filled by men of more than ordinary ability, and the power to comprehend large issues. The ratepayers of the district have hitherto been fortunate in their selection and we have every confidence that in view of the important issues at stake th*y will exercise the same wisdom in their future choice.