THE Poverty Bay Independent. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Thursday, September 17, 1885.

Poverty Bay Independent, Volume I, Issue 50, 17 September 1885, Page 2

THE Poverty Bay Independent. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Thursday, September 17, 1885.

The movement nowon foot, havtngfor its object ths formation of a new County, is progressing most favorably, and there has I already been a large number of signatures attached to the petition. Waiapu has, with one solitary exception, signed it to a man, and by the end o£ the present week Tologa will have followed in the same ratio, consequently there is little need to again rehearse the many incontrovertible arguments which we have already advanced in favor of the movement. At the same time it maybe worth while to point to the new-born anxiety for the welfare of the hitherto neglected ridings which has so suddenly been evoked by the movement for seperation and which, when viewed in its true light, ranks with that sort of repentance which makes the convicted culprit so anxious to make restitution of his ill gotten spoil. Virtually there has been but two real arguments used against the proposed movement—one that the cost of working would more than counter-balance any monetary benefit which would accrue to the new Council by severance, and the other that the Northern ratepayers would forfeit all right to any return for the large sums which have been expended in the Southern ridings. The first argument has been fully answered, and the second simply requires a tew words to show that instead of being an argument against it is really a strong one in favor of separation. There is now a large sum of money about being spent on the Te Arai riding, the greater portion of which will probably be spent on the construction of a tram to the Patutahi quarry. This money has been raised under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act by special rate, which has to be paid by the whole county. When these roads are constructed it will take a good sum to maintain them. The southern members now say “As we have taxed the Northern ridings to make our roads under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act so, in return, and providing you do not seceed from us, we will, i by-and-by, tax ourselves to make your roads by the same means.” Even were their intentions sincere the present de- , pleted Treasury and burden of public debt under which the colony is groaning, render it more than probable that the Roads and Bridges Construction Act is virtually defunct, and there is now little probability of the Government subsidising local governing bodies as heretofore. The only way to carry out large public works ' in the future will be by raising loans. In the event of a loan being raised under the present representation of six members against three—and judging from past experience—there is little room for conjecture as to the result. The truth is the i southern members wish to keep the goose which has so long lain the golden egg. By separation the Northern ridings will not alone free themselves from the incubus of the present special rate which they are now paying for the construction of roads from which they nevercan derivethe slightest benefit, but they will be in apposition, by using the same means of rating themselves for a similar amount, to raise a loan of their own with the certainty of having it expended in their own county. There is small chance of letting the present golden opportunity pass.