LEVELS COUNTY GRANTS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13463, 9 December 1907, Page 3

LEVELS COUNTY GRANTS.

COUNTY CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT.

Meeting the chairman of the Levels, County Council on Saturday a "Herald" reporter asked for hits version of the lack of Government grants for Levels County this year. Mr Orbell /said that grants had been asked for, in the usual way, by sending a. list to the Roadis Department and by interviewing the member for the district. A deputation from the Council met Mr Hall-Jones, in Timaru, with a v list of works they proposed to ask grants: for. This was just before Mr HailJones left for England; and he said: " Send the list to the Roads Department and it will be considered with the rest/.". Mr Hall-Jones made no promise, and held out. no hopes, to the deputation, regarding these requests. He did, however, think the Government would probably give some assistance, to the Levels and Geraldina Councils, in the rebuilding of the Opihi bridge on the main road, the. meet important'work of them all, and of more than local usefulness. Mr Anstey and Mr Flatman accompanied Mr Talbot and himself in an interview with Mr MeGrowasn, acting Minister for Public Works, to ask for a grant for this bridge'. They therefore knew of that request, and' Mr" Orbell gave them credit for using whatever influence they had in endeavouns to obtain it. As. they failed to get anything for this important bridge, it was not likely; that they wcmld have been more successful with■ regard ■_to grants for small road works. A list of these requests was not tent to them because Mr Hall-Jones' had seen it, and on hii> suggestion it was sent to the district engineer of the Roads Department, before there was anything about Messrs* Anstey and Flatman looking after the interests of the constituency; and it was understood that Mr Hall-Jones's colleagues would do that for him during his absence, as well as doing his Ministerial work. The reporter ,was, .shown the list of small grants on which Mr Hall-J ones was consulted, a copy of which, with marked map, way sent to Mr Wither shortly after that consultation. The list contains" thirteen items, of sums ranging from £75 to £200; total £1950. Mr Orbell' added that he could not, ssfj iff _ the. " Timaru Herald's " editorial on tii* subject, anything at which Mr Anstey should have felt annoyed, as the article (consistently with the "Herald's." attitude for years past) from first to last was a condemnation of the system of Government '• grants" to . local bodies, and the names of Mr Anstey and Mr Flatman were only mentioned incidentally in connection with a particular case,' Mr. Orbell said the system was utterly rotten? '" Why should assistance to local bodies from Ihe public funds have to depend upons their pertinacity as beggars? Why should we have to go cap in hand to see Ministers about it, or get nothing';'"