LAKE COUNTY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2318, 4 August 1898, Page 25

LAKE COUNTY.

Jul's 30.— The Lake County Council held its ordinary meeting at the Council Chambeis, Queenstown, on Monday labt, and transacted a. quantity of business having eference to road works and the like. In thn lespect it was agreed to remetal all the in pin roads m the county, many of. which have been worn quite fiat, the metal put on them porae 20 years ago having been completely ground to dust and blown away by the wind. ISotwithstanding the great heaps of locks, f oooft, 9000 ft, and upwards in height that we have in. this district, so closely crowded together that it is sometimes difficult to make your v,ay through them, there is very little rock suitable i'or road metal, and the rliuvial grovel deposits are no better. At Arrowlown, vnere the wheeled traffic in tho main street is very considerable, a decent coat of gravel barely lasts a twelvemonth. Beiag reduced to n.ud by the aid of the rain in that time, the muck is collected, carted off, and replaced by iic=h gravel to make more muck next time, rijd so on. The council will find, jf it .ias ?iofc done so elready, that good and Jurable met.il is worth piospecting for, as, when found, it would be a great saving to tho funds, ard nipko travelling in Lake County much more agreeable than it is at present. In fixing the rate for the ensuing year it was agreed to reduce it from six to four farthings m the pound. The wisdom of this step is not veiy apparent, seeing that the overdraft is still hovering m the neighbourhood oi £3000, the money paid as irterest amounting annually to between XIGO and £200, a suui that would do a good deal of road-making-. All hough much has been done in the way of opening acenic routes, the council's mind seems to be still set in that direction. This, of cours-e, is quite as it should be. there^ being plenty of room for improvement in this line. A lengthy letter from the chairman of the "Wakatipu Licensing Committee was received by the council, advising that body to allow the members of the Licencing Committee only one day's expenses instead of thiee, netting forth as a reason that they declined to proceed with the business placed bei'oie them. It will be remembered that at the lecent meeting of the Licensing Committee a deadlock occuvied through the chairman having refused to sign conditional licenses for sports gatherings in spite of all the members of the committee agreeing that such liceuses should be granted, whereupon the nonplussed, committee laid their grievances before the Minister for Justice. This, no doubt, was a little rough en the chairman, who. bcsider-, cr.me in for some strong public criticism, and, if vhc truth rnu'bt be toid* no little private abuse. However, the wording of the act, which is one belonging to the new-fangled so-called Liberal ( . ; ) legislation, upheld the chairm?n mi Hie position he took up. In this manner a Government appointee set at defiance the whole of a committee elected by the people, and that by ihe power of a "Liberal" act. No Tory Government ever arrogated to itself such powers. The people are also led to believe 'Ihat local option is a living principle in i\ r ew Zealand, but what, under th^ ousting circumstances, is the ca&e? Here is a rohtaiy Government nominee setting at nought the exfiressed wish of some 3000 de'iuded individuals, * ricked into believing that th"y have a say In the matter. And now comes the scrniei of pi! vliis gloiious " libemlism." To punish the leca-lcilrant committee for having sui independent opinion, the chairman goes "fo the tiouble of writing a lengthy letter to Ihe Lake Comity Council, uistiv.ctiiig them to pay the members oniy one duy's, foi thite dvyt.' expenses'. The judicial perspicacity of the chairman appears in a que"er light when he acts fiom motives that do not bwr beni'4 inquired nto, .s vitncss, judge, and executor of his hapless com miltee "Ye want a l>»g Msnine to sup wi* the de'ii ' "