CITY AND PROVINCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XI, Issue 3915, 30 May 1874, Page 1 (Supplement)

CITY AND PROVINCE.

To the Editor of the Herald. Sir,—Those who are the gainers by the maintenance of our provincial institutions appear most eager to lay all the burthens on the city ratepayers, who seem content to be despoiled of city revenues without a murmur, and if a voice is raised by any of our members in Provincial Council for a fair share, they are constantly being twitted with the repeal of the City Loan. Now, the facts are, divested of nonsense, that out of the halfmillion loan £50,000 was to be devoted for city purposes, but instead of that only £2S,CJO was ever received, and interest was paid for some time on the whole amount. The City Board found that the amount of interest (£2OOO per annum) was more than the city rates could bear, and find means necessary for works required in the city, and seeing after the consolidation of the provincial loans, the citizens were in reality paying interest twice—once in the shape of £2000 interest to the Provincial Government, and secondly in the deduction of the interest and sinking futid from the revenues of the province by the General Government. They endeavoured to do what others had already done—obtain a repeal of the Loan Act, and oa pledging to build a market, which they have done at a cost of nearly £10,000, with unusual liberal privileges and concessions to the country folks. How they have responded to these advantages is best known to themselves ; but having kept good faith, surely it is time we heard the last of the repeal of the City Loan Debt Act, seeing that at the present moment the citizens are still paying their fair share of the debt equally with the other colonists. In every other province but this the cities get a fair share of the provincial revenue to assist the local taxation. Even the Highway Boards get a share of the revenues of the colony yearly ; but what does our city get ?—all they choose to tax themselves for ! And even their own large revenue —publicans', auctioneers', dog nuisance, and other licences, which in Duuediu are the revenue of the corporation —is here taken to keep provincialism atloat, and when the city members presume to ask for their own or a share of itthe Provincialists object, and of course they get the assistance of many of our country members, who are nothing loath to have the city revenues spent in the country districts. The country wants encouragement, and while it is right we should do all we can for out-districts, and the encouragement of settlers on the waste lauds of the province, we should not forget that the heavily burdened city ratepayers have a fair right to that share of the revenues derived from their own districts, they getting next to nothing from Provincial or General Governments. —1 am, &c,