The Drainage Board.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5192, 24 December 1884, Page 3

The Drainage Board.

« A THREATENED DEADLOCK. {From the Lyttelton Times.) Nominations for the Drainage Board vacancies must be in on Monday next in the ordinary course. That looks a most simple, business-like announcement. The ordinary ratepayer will be apt to say that ib is the" usual thing ; candidates will be sure to roll up ; he need not bother himself until he sees who are the gentlemen who require his suffrage. As it has been, so it will be again. Drainage Board elections have usually been affairs more or less hollow ; but office' has always had charm enough to attract a full Board. This, considering the great interests at stake, and the numerous troubles the cause of Drainage has been through, may be extraordinary, but it is true. Such are the most likely ideas to be set running in the head of the ordinary ratepayer by the announcement that on Monday the nominations must be made. But they are completely at fault. As far as present appearances go, there will be no nominations. Not a single one of the pre- '• sent Board intends to offer himself for | re-election. One is going away, another j has too nuich private business, another has too much public employment, a third J objects to serve on the Board of Health as i long as it is virtually the Drainage Board, a fourth has one reason, and the rest have other reasons, but the reasons are all equally potent to sweep the Board clean. I The Drainage Board is absolutely threat- i ened with extinction. Urban members and rural members are going off together in a body for once completely unanimous. There is not a single soul to take their ' place out of a public composed of rate- ! payers apparently equally unanimous on ! the point of refusing office. This is about j the prettiest comment on local government j that anybody could desire. talks of local government as the one thing required to complete his political happiness. Nobody will consent, on any pretence, to give up his time to the work of a most important branch of local government. The Drainage Board deals, in one or other of its capacities, with the health, the comfort, the well being, the pocket, and the honour of the district, for honour is concerned when a heavy engagement has been entered into with the public creditor. Yet there is not a creature who cares to take his part in seeing to these things, in a country inhabited by a race whose capacity for selfgovernment is its proudest boast. This is very deplorable. The ratepayers in the different districts must see to it between this and Monday next, or they .will be absolutely without a Drainage Board or a sanitary authority. If they prefer that the work shall be done by a central authority, we mean an authority appointed by the Government at Wellington, they deserve to suffer that infliction. For the credit of the community we hope there is a better spirit abroad.