LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5370, 22 January 1889, Page 3

LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

(Uawkes Bay Herald, J»n 17.)

>Ye suggest to the Poverty Bay poople

that they shouldagitate for powers to deal with their own wasta lands. Yestorday, when tho monthly farce onl'ed "Land Bjard" was being enae'ed here, a latter

Rom the County Council was being road

the letter asking that a pieoa of land at Patatahi might be seb apart as a grazing ground and resting place for travailing stock. Tho piece cf land is only a short distance from Guborne, and it Is rery absurd that a request of this kind should have to be forwarded to Napier. la the first place, the unnecessary body which meets in Napier under a sounding tit'e have little or bo knowledge of the district, and in the second they know leas of the

neuds of Cook County with rela-ion to this pioce if land. Thii, indeed, wrb acknowledged by the Board by their ac-

>n with regard to the letter, as it wai

decided to refer tlie matter to tho local County Council. Tho Board acted aunuibly in refusing to decide upon a matter as to tho meritfon which themombers were completely in f ho dark, but thfir action only emphasised the absurdity of which wo "complain— that the Gisborna people ahoukl be compelled to apply to Napier to settle- matters about which Na;.i' : r is

neither itif"i-mcd nor interoGted. Then, »gain (he Board decided to throw open and for selection iv another part <>f Poverty Bay thus affording another

instance of tho need for abolishing all the uselt 83 b'dios l>no.vn aa land boards (which c iefly exist in order that small politicians may got little- billets carrying

"perks" with them), and f^r conferring upon county councils tho power to do :1 with wasto lands within their boundaries.

ii>, of cnurs.>, won d have to be done

iiiidor very airiot ru!ts drawn v,> by the G mrnmeut, to jirovent abuses, but with suoh rules fr> keep thi> counci-s straight they would be the best bodies to donl with waate lands. Tiko another instance. The Board decided to write t> the Wairoa County Council in reference to a permia aion previously given to tho Council to cut some timber fri.m a reserve iti tho Wairca dis rict Kow, if Wairoa had to write for permission from outside, why ohould it nnt writp. straight to Wellington? Bat we contend that these things should be dealt with locally, aa suggested above, and then they would at lea3t be do^lt with by people who knew something a out the laud. The Napier "Board" consisted yesterday of the commissioner (who does all the real work th; j ro is to dv), Mr It Harding, a larfze Bheep farmer nt Waipukurau, and Mr Hn* , a sm^'l farm settler at Woodville. What in the world is the use of paying either of tho two latter gentlemon to meet in Napier to decide what should be done with lands ar Gisborne and Wairoa ? Lmd Boards aru a relic of tho days who:i we we' c l<>nu mad and government struck, and could affrd to multiply paid bodies of lit' le or no use. The sooner they are abolished, and their functions allotted to county councils, tho better for all concerned.