THE OTAGO WITNESS. Dunedin, Saturday, August 13, 1809.

Otago Witness, Issue 402, 13 August 1859, Page 2

THE OTAGO WITNESS. Dunedin, Saturday, August 13, 1809.

As "vi lll be observed from our report of the Town Board, it is contemplated by the Government to propose an alteration in the name of that body, and to substitute the term Town Council. There would be but little object in this alteration, but from the fact that the Government propose to create municipal corporations at Port Chalmers and Invercargill, and to extend the system to each town in the province so soon as there bhall be a sufficient number of inhabitants residing in them to warrant the creation of a municipality. With this object in view the title of Town Council, which is more appropriate and better understood, will be an improvement. The creation of local municipalities, has, for some time past, been in contemplation ; and ample reserves in all the towns laid out have been made, with the view of creating municipal estates from which the chief source of funds for effecting local improvements will be drawn. Powers of taxation will also be' given; but whilst the towns are young, and the habitations scattered, it is clear that few improvements could be effected with funds derived from this latter source. Some portion of our community have ridiculed the proceedings of the Town Board, and have suggested that all these matters would be better in the hands of the Government : in this we entirely disagree with the objectors to local municipalities. We are persuaded that the time is not far distant when the Government will have too much to do to attend satisfactorily to those local details ; and, that unless some local authority is created, many of the towns will be but scantily sewed with many valuable requisites. Besides, as there must arise differences of opinion as to directions in which the funds should be spent, it would be absurd to mix up the Government with them, and perhaps weaken a Government or even upset it, not upon a political question, but upon the direction of some particular street line. Another most important effect of a local council is to accustom the community to the management of public affairs in comparatively unimportant matters, and thus to afford the electors of the province a means of judging of the most fitting persons to represent them in the Provincial Council and General Assembly. This, in a country with so democratic a Constitution, is by no means an uuimportant consideration. Whilst, however, there are many advantages to be derived from the creation of local municipalities, there are, undoubtedly, many inconveniences. One, and that the most serious of all, is the tendency of such bodies to do a little jobbing. For the councillors to make the streets before their own doors — to spend the funds acquired in that which a majority may desire — and to leave the weaker and more distant portion of the town to shift for itself— and to waste the funds by favouritism in the granting of contracts or leasing of properties. In so far as the funds may be derived from taxation, there is not much fear of these

abuses, because people who pay directly are apt to be sharp in looking after the distribution of the funds; but when it comes to letting a Municipal Estate, the danger of jobbing is imminent. The Town Board of Dunedin, being the first municipality, should have been especially careful on this point, unless they wish to bring discredit on the whole system of local municipalities. We fear, however, that they are not so free from thi3 charge as could be desired. A flagrant instance is before us in the case of the application of Mr. Macandrew for a lease of the Municipal section upon which his store stands, and which, it appears, a majority of the Board resolved to let at 12s. per foot. This section was one of the earliest choices, and, in fact, is one of the most valuable sites in the town- — being on the main street — facing the jetty — and having two frontages. As a site for an hotel, it is worth at least two pounds per foot. Let us attempt to see upon what principle, but that of worshipping the rising- sun, the Board could propose to let it at 12s. per foot. The Government lately let Mr. Jones a site, near the jetty, for £l per foot : that is not nearly so valuable a site for general purposes, and was too cheap compared with prices generally. The Board let Mr. Carnegie the site of his store at 12s. per foot, but he had expended a very considerable sum in filling up what otherwise was an unavailable piece of land ; and there the Board made a mistake, inasmuch as the rent should have been the average rate of the rest of the section which required to be so filled up, and which the tenants who took the property were willing to do ; but the Board only let to Mr. Carnegie the actual piece of ground upon which his store was built, whereas in the present instance the applicant is to have the whole section. In Mr. Macandrew's case, the section was one that required no expenditure to make it available ; therefore there could be no claim on this ground. Looking, then, at the prices generally ruling, we find that one section was let for 82s. and 335. per foot, even where a large expenditure will be required to fill up the ground and to build a wall ; j and we do not know a single site on the I main street recently let for less than £1 per foot. We shall perhaps be told that t there was a previous lease in existence at a low rent — 10s. per annum — and that it ! was wise to make a better bargain. That lease was not worth a straw, but in good , faith the Board should have recognised it upon the rent being paid, (which we believe has never been done), and have allowed it to run out, and have then treated the property a§ is proposed to be done at the end of the leases which are now granted, viz., set the rent at auction, and have made the incoming tenant take the buildings at a valuation. The lease has but some two years to run, and if the ground rent bo worth £1 now, it will probably be worth £3 then. If the lease for fourteen years be granted as now proposed, some £100 per annum will be sacrificed for that, term. The Board has already determined to sacrifice the whole of an adjoining section, under pretence of forwarding education by the erection of an Athenasum ; but, in reality, education is forwarded by that step by the instruction which may be obtained at a cattle sale ! ! ! Thus the whole of one side of Manse-street, facing the Jetty, has been, or is intended to be, jobbed. away. We call the attention of the rate-payers to these facts, who should take immediate steps to bring their representatives to reason, — a thing very simply to be done, by a petition to the Superintendent not to sign the lease when presented to him for that purpose, as we presume every lease must be signed hy the Superintendent, in whom the property is vested. The \os3 upon this proposed lease alone is equal to one-third of the tax collected, and is therefore 4d. in the pound drawn from the pocket of every rate-payer. And why should those who have lately arrived amongst us be taxed, at a time when they can least afford it, to give to another a i property which will be worth about £1000, when he is well able to pay a fair price for the lease. Well might the Board propose to raise the rate to Is. 6d. in the pound with such a prospect before them ; but we hope the rate-payers will look to it.