The Evening Mail. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 1879.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 854, 10 January 1879, Page 2

The Evening Mail. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 1879.

Tfcc, wtiiui nf the C«»)Veritmeii6 i« recalling j the piwut'a. t>f ib» Ci>«nty Coitnetltors has' provofcetl some aia«wnt t>f »'pj>»>#ition «»t» thfc'ir ptu-t. TW welt-fcnowj* gentler for; | llantptfen. while travelling t» the G»i?tj_i(*il j f meetißg y, u»tntatfled that bispas* was too 1 gnwtit ti> (ikpensw with when aafced to Oliver it up t»y a raiiwaj* »>tfieb!. But the tbreiitening attitude of the »ai}way atithoritiss, »nJ theanlvicewf theCotmciEa hate bw »ii>ubt luut a convincing ; effeut upon him. If- swbj, however, iiarxi that, while memkn of Parliament sijutxhi I few alWweti t» retain th»tr fre« jmsaeSj members ef Cotmty C«>ancila shooW "f theni. Wp fail t«> sec the ; s»|iwri'jr claims ef the one over the other

to being allowed to travel free on our railways, and we would have thought, did we not know thnt the opposite ia the case, that members of Parliament would scorn to accept the privilege of free travelling. They may use their tickets once a year in order to enable thein to get to Wellington, but for the remainder of the year they are U3ed in a manner not in the remotest degree connected with the public interests, and for these reasons we think that they should forfeit them. Now, all that County Councillors require is that they should be allowed the privilege of travelling to, and returning home from, Council meetings, to attend which many of them travel long distances. These men may be able to afford to defray their own travelling expenses, or they may not; but that is not the question. They are public servants on public business, and they should be allowed the free use of the means of travelling belonging to the public. To ask them to dip their hands into their pockets and pay travelling expenses, in addition to spending a large share of their < time, which in many instances cannot be compensated for in any way—not even by the granting of a free pass to travel to and ! from meetings—seems like killing the geese that lay the golden eggs. If the new-fangkd system of depriving County Cotinciilors of their passes be continued, only wealthy men will be found in our County Councills.