CHRISTCHURCH NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4405, 11 July 1901, Page 5

CHRISTCHURCH NEWS.

THE CITY ELECTION. Special to the “ Times. ' CHRISTCHURCH, July 10. The election struggle is not exciting very much interest. The opinion still prevails that the contest is a very open one, and that all thre e candidates have about equal chances of securing the seat. A special meeting of the Selwyn County Council was held this morning t° discuss the County Councils Bill and make recommendations to be placed before the conference which is to sit in Wellington, and at which Mr G. McHaffie will represent the Council. The measure was dealt with clause by clause, several recommendations from other lo* cal bodies also being discussed. Some recommendations to the conference were made, but the general opinion expressed was that, on the whole, the Bill was a very good one. In discussing clause 5 of the Local Authorities Act as to whether or not' road boards should be abolished, the matter was gone into with considerable care. Mr McHaffie held that if the working expenses of a Board were greater than a certain percentage of the receipts, then that Board should be abolished,' but otherwise he thought the Board should he retained. Mr Rennie said that road boards had done excellent work, but the counties now overlapped the boards, and ho thought it probable that the county might do the work of maintenance cheaper and better than under the present system. Mr Gough favoured amalgamating several small boards, but "was against their total abolition." Mr Dunlop said that working expenses in many instances exceeded a third of the revenue. JTh e hoards had been shorn of the more largely ratable properties by the formation of boroughs. There was much confusion with these numerous small bodies, and he considered that a better state of things would exist if the boards were abolished and the County Council controlled the road districts. Mr Westenra said it was really a question as to which was the cheapest and best mode for the ratepayers. While admitting that th© road boards had done good work, he felt that the time had come when one body should do the whole work, and that body the County Council. Mr Wolffe favoured the retention of up-country boards, but thought those nearer the city ought to be compelled to amalgamate. Mr Witty though they might do away with hoards with a less revenue than £4OO, or within a radius of five miles of town. Mr Murray pointed out what a huge staff would he required by the county councils if road boards wer e abolished. >

Since the publication of the remarkable sermon by Bishop Julius on the Church of Rome, 'the newspapers have been deluged with correspondence. As was only to bo expected, the Bishop has been taken pretty severely to task by a good many writers, but he also has his champions. The question of the payment of members of local bodies cropped up at the meeting of th e Selwyn County Council to-day. Several members considered that 10s per day for members would be ample. Messrs MoHaffie and Westenra pointed out that town members got nothing for their attendance. Mr Rennie said he did not object to attending meetings without payment, but there ought to be some provision for payment when visiting different parts of th® district on the Coun'cil’s business. Ho had spent weeks in visiting water-races and other works, using his own horse and buggy, and never got a penny for it. Mr McHaffie promised to bring tbs matter under the notice of the conference at Wellington.