The Poverty Bay Herald AND East Coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 1879.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 861, 12 August 1879, Page 2

The Poverty Bay Herald AND East Coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 1879.

A very important motion was tabled m the Assembly a few nights since by Dr. Wallis. It was : — "That there be laid before -this House a tabulated return, showing the income and expenditure of every municipality, every County Council, and every Hoad Board m the Colony during the year ended 31st % March, 1879 ; and showing the amount of salary, if any, paid to every Mayor, every County Chairman, and other persons during the aforesaid year, together with otber^lepartmental expenditure; and showthe indebtedness or the amount borrowed by every Municipality, by every County Council, and by every Road Board on the Slat xMarch, 1879." When the necessary information has been elicited, "we think it will be found that many Counties and Municipalities have been governed by a Very wasteful expenditure of money, and that Idllns have been raised which the revenues accruing from taxes will never extinguish, either as regards the interest or providing a sinking fund. Dr. Wallis was anxious -to know what salaries the County Chairmen received, and he desired the information to be printed m such a way that the country could become acquainted with what was being done m connection with our Municipalities, our Road Boards, and

our County Councils. The lionoabler member for Marsclen (Sir Robert Douglas) had asked him to state the objects he had m view m moving this motion. His objects were various. He found that a regular statement of the expenditure, income, and indebtedness of the whole colony gave information of the utmost importance, and of great advantage to all the people m the Colony, and he argued, from that, that if they could get a tabulated statement — a sort of general financial statement— of all the pecuinary affairs connected with our local bodies, the country would be equally advantaged. Another object he had m view was this : From all he could learn, local taxation was exceedingly unequal, and he wanted the people to be informed on this, point. In the case of Cook County, the Chairman receives no salary ; nor do the members draw any honorarium ; nor are the country members allowed travelling expenses. And with our Borough. Council, the Mayor receives no allowance of any kind. Neither up to the present time has the County or Borough Councils borrowed a shilling. As was observed by Mr. Shrimski, when the question was under discussion, it must be apparent to all persons m the colony that our local bodies were dipping very deeply into the treasury. They had taken advantage of their constitution to raise rates to an undue extent, and every householder and every landholder m a district was obliged to pay large sums annually m the shape of local rates. The departmental expenses of these bodies m some cases absorbed nearly the whole of the revenue derived from rates, and there was very little money left for public works. He knew that that the district m which he was living was suffering from excessive departmental expenditure — there we too many officials altogether, and too much was paid to them as salaries. We believe the object of the enquiry is intended as a preliminary step to equalising the expenditure of of local bodies upon some fixed basis. In one County of the colony the Chah-man darws £400 a year ; m another £30*0 and so on m varying sums. The poorest counties are noted for extravagant expenditure, while the wealthiest as a rule are the most economical. It wa,s intended by Dr. Wallis to introduce a Bill into the House limiting the emoluments of chairmen and the travelling expenses of Councillors. No salaries aie t<3 be allowed to the Chairmen or Mayors of local bodies except those sanctioned by His Excellency the Governor. The proposal is a very good one, inasmuch as it will prevent members of local bodies i-ecklessly squandering the moneys of taxpayers m rewarding themselves for, services very oftentimes very indifferently performed.