TOO MUCH GOVERNED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 5996, 4 February 1881, Page 6

TOO MUCH GOVERNED.

TO' THE EDITOR. Sir, —Self-government, as we have it at present, is too expensive, it is simply a land of double mongrel government, most unsatisfactory and ruinous. When the old Provincial System was extinguished, which no one wishes to see again, we were promised self-government, simple and inexpensive, in its stead. The present Counties Act is not such. It has been tried, and is found wanting. Let us suppose that the Act was in full working swing throughout this province, as we have it in the County of Waitemata, and see something near what the expense would be. First, the 21 counties need 21 chairmen, 21 offices, 21 sets of office furniture, 21 boys to sweep and keep them, 21 clerks, 21 rate collectors, 21 sets of stationery, and 21 engineers, and, worst of. all, 21 sets of councillors, at one guinea a day for each sitting. The attendance at these sittings is something remarkable. You never fiud a councillor absent. As above there are 21 counties ; in each of these there are 9 ridings, or 189 councillor? at a guinea a-day each, and in each of these ridings three or • more Road Boards,, five members each. In all, councillors and trustees, we have a solid army of 2525 men to govern, not the province, merely its out districts. There is nothing on earth to compare to this. It is only Mr. Proctor in the starry vault of heaven or the_ comets' glittering train that could .find a suitable comparison. The country requires, and will demand that this farce, this blot, this Counties Act be erased from the statute book. Thex'e is just this difference between the Highways and.Couties Acts in the form. All moneys go on to the road in the highway administration; in the latter much of the money finds its way into the pockets of honourable councillors. Let the provincial revenue from all sources be fairly divided between the Road Boards in accordance with, the length of public road running through each district, so that the Great North and South Roads may be maintained from the above revenue. This is plain, simple, and i" expensive. The unnecessary expense of these County Councils and their guinea aday councillors would moi-e than twice or thrice keep the Great North and Sonth Roads.—l am, &c, J. McElwaist.