The Manawatu Times. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1877.

Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 50, 11 April 1877, Page 2

The Manawatu Times. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1877.

The Hon William Fox Las been digesting the voluminous records of last session, and lias given utterance thereon to his Wanganui constituents. On the whole, we cannot compliment him on the thoroughness of his views : m some particulars they clash. Eor instance, he accepts the present political situation — the substitution of the County for the Provincial system ; yet he objects to Local Boards being m any way under the control of the County Council. He considers that' they ought to be on the same basis with Municipalities — that is, having independent powers and absolute control of their own revenue. We consider that such an arrangement would be subversive of the County system. It would deprive the Counties of a great portion of their revenue that is to be, and leave them with very little to do, and very little to do that little with . It .would take from the Counties nearly every centre of population with its revenue, and leave them the profitless wilderness to exercise jurisdiction over. The County system would then amount to a mere cumberous image of government, with little else than the shadow of power. The permissive character of the Cotinties Act, which has been derisively pointed out by a portion of the press as an indication of weakness, is m our opinion the reverse. There is already a cry abroad that the County system is a failure, because m some places the burthen of responsibility

has not yet been properly adjusted to uiiHfi'ustouietl shoi:!do!'s. It muwl" surely bo adiniitfd that whenever a new system of government lis adopted, and new governors elected. Komeihing has to be learnt, and some time allowed to learn it v;\, before the work of governj ing will go on smoothly. Had the whole of the Counties Act, involving as it does an administrative revolution, been forced into full operation simultaneously all over the colony, the confusion and bungling would have been far greater than they are; arid those persons who are at all limes too ready to anticipate a failure would have some legitimate exercise for their tongues. But the permissive clauses euabled.the County Councils to feel their way and make sure of their ground before accepting the whole responsibility of local government. The General G-overa-uieut was content to do the work of the Councils until the latter would gain confluence m themselves, and become familiar with their new duties. In like uifintiei*, the Councils have the option of either absorbing the Local Boards or allowing them to vrurk siiborclinately. But when the weaker and less experienced of the County County have gained strength and experience, then the purpose for which part of the Act was made permissive T .vill be fulfilled, and the duty of the Councils will be, clearly, to accept the whole Act. The ultimate intention of the Act is to invest the Councils one and all with the full power and responsibility of local government, and thus abolish the local or road boards, and if the County Councils do not eventually carry out this intention, the system will be a failure. According to the old regime there were, besides the supreme power, two governing bodies, the greater and the less,' viz., the Provincial Council and the Road Board. The County Councils, m their organization and dimensions take a place between these two and are designed to embody the character and functions of both. They are less m magnitude than the Provincial Councils, but greater than the Road Boards. They are less m number than the Road Boards, but greater m number than the Provincial Councils. The design to supplant the provincial by the County system has oi. : course been ostensible enough, but a secondary and less important design is to abolish local boards, and we will be surprised if when the County Councils feel their legs fairly beneath them they do not kick away the sticks that have so far helped to support them. Hence it is inconsistent for Mr Fox to talk of developing Ihe County system and at the same time of making the local boards independent of the County. Why initiate a scheme of local government so comprehensive as the County scheme if the local bodies already existing are still to exist and with increased powers ? Better to have magnified the latter to such a degree as to make any other system unnecessary. But now that County Councils have a real existence the road boards should be going the way of the provincial councils, or if allowed to exist at all, should exist as mere County machines. If our counties were thickly populated and our interests more numerous and pressing than they are, then the expense of a wheel within a wheel system of government could and should be tolerated, but circumstances, which alter cases, do not require for us any but a very simple and economical form of local rule. And when we have counties divided into ridings and each riding fairly represented m the governing I body, we have a system of rule sufficiently simple and effective. Of course exceptions, which start up from every generality, occur here. When any centre of population becomes of sufficient importance, and its interests sufficiently peculiar to require exclusive privileges, we have such an exception and the Municipal Corporations Act provides for it ; but as the County is impoverished by the existence of municipalities within its area this affords a very good reason why every paltry road board should not become one.