THE Marlborough Express SATURDAY, MAY 24, 1879.

Marlborough Express, Volume XIV, Issue 1136, 24 May 1879, Page 4

THE Marlborough Express

SATURDAY, MAY 24, 1879.

“ Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and {,O argus reely according to conscience,' above all other liberties —Milton',

With all the faults that usually attend the carrying out of Municipal Government in Boroughs, the system is so excellent a one in itself, and calculated, with proper administration, to be of such great value—being, in fact, Local Self Government in its very best form—that we should be sorry to see anything done to cripple its usefulness. It does appear however, that in some quarters these Institutions are not regarded in a like favorable light, and absorbtion of Municipalities by Counties, is suggested as an improvement on the existing state of things. A resolution passed recently by the Finance Committee of the Westland County Council, which is to be fully discussed at the proposed Conference of the various West Coast County Councils, possesses considerable importance at the present time as bearing upon the question in a practical way. After setting forth the fact that the revenue of the Westland County Council is insufficient to meet its expenses, the committee goes on to say : “ This state of affairs has been chiefly brought about by the formation of Boroughs, absorbing a considerable portion of the County revenue, and your Committee earnestly trust that the Council will take steps to bring the whole question before Parliament at its reassembling.”

—There is, therefore, much probability that among the various subjects that will occupy the attention of our Legislators next session will be that of Boroughs and Counties, and it behoves all friends of Municipalities to be on the watch to see that their enemies do not steal a march on them, for in this as in most other matters the victory will be to the vigilant, and not to those sleeping. It would be a serious blow to all Boroughs, es- , pecially the lesser ones, to be swamped by v the Counties. At present the rates in most small Municipalities are barely sufficient to keep the roads in repair’, and to provide for Drainage and other Sanitary regulations ; indeed as regards the latter they are in many places—Blenheim amongst the number--almost totally neglected. If such Boroughs were merged into the adjacent Counties, and the rates collected spent over the whole area, the town would suffer, and most unjustly. Take the case of the roads alone ; in and near a town they are necessarily far more used and cut up by traffic than in the country, the various roads of a district usually converging at a central point of the town, and consequently the expense which has to be incurred for the maintenance and repair of Streets and Roads within the Borough limits is greater than outside its boundaries ; and as regards Water Supply and Drainage, these things are really necessities in the town, but in the country they can be dispensed with more or less, if not altogether. No apportioning of the Rates under an amalgamated scheme, such as is suggested, could do justice to thd Borough ratepayers. The Counties might be gainers, but it would be at the expense of their Town neighbours. That their own special revenues raised within their boundaries, and subsidised by Government for the use and improvement of ■ the Municipalities, should be transferred to what is called county revenue, would be a sort of system of “robbing Peter to pay Paul,” which'is against all views of the honest working of Local SelfGovernment. When the County system was' introduced great care was exercised to preserve the interests of the Boroughs situated within the several Counties, and the • former preserved their Municipal Institutions throughout all the shock and “ bloodless revolution” of Provincial Abolition. ; The danger that was then escaped seems again to be threatening our Municipal Corporations, and the question naturally attracts the attention of the Press. Who is going to bring the question before Parliament, does not at present appear, nor what the views of the Government may be upon it, but all who regard our Borough Councils as amongst our most useful public bodies, and desire to have municipal interests conserved, will do well to bear in. mind that there is a political attack contemplated upon them, and to instruct their Parliamentary

Representatives to oppose any such Bill being brought into the Assembly, as one having for its object the absorbtion of Boroughs within Counties.

The development of the Industrial resources of the Colonies has for a long time occupied the attention of many of the lead'ng minds of this country, as well as of Australia. The great advantages which resulted from the World’s Fab: in 1851, have been fully recognised by all the civilised nations of the earth, and costly palaces have been reared as homes for the treasures of Art and Science. Our fellow countrymen in Australia were the first, however, who took advantage of the Educational influence of these Expositions to awaken a spirit of healthy emulation in the minds of the young. Many of our readers will doubtless remember that last year two of “ Our Boys ” resident in Blenheim, obtained certificates of merit for work shown by them at the Ballarat Juvenile Exhibition. Again in March last an Exhibition of a similar character was held at Sandhurst, at which another of “ Our Boys ” has sought to win Industrial honors, and from the skill and perseverance he displayed we trust he will be successful. We have now to call the attention of our youthful friends and their teachers to the fact that a still larger and more important Juvenile Exhibition is to be held at Melbourne in October next, to which all the youths of the Australasian Colonies are invited to send specimens of their handiwork and skill. The value of the special prizes alone amounts to £llßs, exclusive of the general prizes and certificates of merit given by the committee. It will be seen from the particulars attached to the Prize Lists that arrangements have been made for a free carriage and transportation of goods intended for this Exhibition. We have a copy posted at our office for public reference, and others will be supplied on application by Mr Kae, who has accepted the appointment of Honorary Local Secretary, and will be happy to give every information to all and sundry who wish to take part in this jubilee of youthful labour. Wo sincerely trust that the youth of both sexes will avail themselves of the facilities now offered, and thereby assist to bring the district of Marlbor-ough to the front.

Whilst writing on the above subject, it will not be out of place to again draw attention to the great International Exhibition to bo held in Sydney, at which it is most desirable that New Zealand should be well represented, and we hope that our own District of Marlborough will do herself credit. We learn that our Nelson neighbours are preparing to send exhibits of coal and copper, of a land which can hardly be excelled, and which, therefore, can hardly fail to gain prizes and draw general attention to the mineral wealth of the locality, nor is Marlborough destitute in resources of the same kind. Specimens of gold also from the neighbourhood of Picton and Havelock can be forwarded to Sydney, sufficient to show that although up to the present time much gold in payable quantities has not been found, there is nevertheless enough of it to give at all events, a fair promise that the Mining industry here will ultimately be a remunerative and important one. In one direction, however, we venture to say, no part of the world can send better exhibits than can Marlborough, namely, in grain. For quantity and quality nothing can possibly surpass the crops of last season in the Wairau Valley. As regards barley, the southern brewers say that nothing can compete with it for malting purposes, and the fact that all that was raised in the district was eagerly competed for, most of it before it was cut, proves unmistakeably its great value in the market; nor are we much behind as regards wheat and oats, although perhaps Adelaide and Tasmania may be a little ahead of us as to these cereals. In vegetables and root crops generally, the district can also hold its own with all competitors. In wool no great things can be looked for .from here just at present, and therefore we do not expect to see many prizes in this class awarded to Marlborough exhibitors on this occasion. It is, however, almost certain that if our runholders have the will and means to thoroughly cleanse their flocks from Scab, and comply with the provisions of the Sheep Act of last session, notwithstanding that some of those provisions may be unpalatable to them, they may eventually grow as good wool as can be produced anywhere.