The Waipawa Mail SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1878.

Waipawa Mail, Volume I, Issue 7, 5 October 1878, Page 2

The Waipawa Mail SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1878.

An' interesting discussion took place in the Legislative Council last week on the Counties Act Amendment Bill. The measure embodies some of the alterations in the present Act, which were suggested by the recent Conference at Wellington. Is the county system a failure appears to be a question which cannot be answered docisively one way or the other. The most diverse views are held by men i who individually speak with a know- ■ ledge derived from an experience of the working of the Counties Act. In the discussion in the Legislative Council Sir I>. Bell gave it as his ■ opinion that the Counties Act was a conspicuous failure. “ This question,” he said, “ was an extremely wide one. , Some of the counties were pure hum- 1 bugs and pure tyrannies.” MV John H all, who is a Chairman of a Canterbury County Council, had pre- i viously in the debate given it as bis : opinion that the Counties Act had been a comparative success, that with the amendments in the Act which it was found desirable to make from experience, it would be found that the Counties Act would meet the requirements of local government. Sir 1). Bell, replying to Mr ILall, said that the hit ter gentleman spoke from his own experience. His own county was a success, because “it was presided over by himself, a most able public man, who took a pride in doing the work of local government well.” There is little doubt that Air John Hall is one of the ablest men in the colony in any executive department; but there is a more powerful reason than personal ability for the successful working of the county system in Canterbury and portions of < >tago. Amplcness of cash would render almost any system of locai government a success, so long as affairs were honestly managed; and the absence of sufficient funds would render the most perfect system a dead letter. It may be safely said that there is not a. County Council in the North Island in a position to adequately perform the functions of local government. The -e is not a whit to choose between the men who compose the Council in cither island, but there is a v onderS'iil d i'Terence in the means placed at their disposal. While the counties of the North island are starving for want of fundi, similar bodies in Canterbury have actually a credit balance in the bank of between thirty and forty thousand pounds. Mr Waterhouse whose experience of the new system of local government was acquired in the Wairara; a, belie ed with Sir I >. Bell that the county system was generally a failure. He belie oj that ifc was

founded on a A\ro:m basis. He field I that all that was wauted was a Main "Road Hoard in each provincial district ! to look after the main roads and the present road boards for local roads. That would no doubt be more simple than the present system ; lint it is ' questionable whether it would he more efficient. "What is really wanted is increased revenue. Till that takes place, there aa ill be complaints that; the county system is a failure. i\t 1 present the outlook is not pleasant. There is a tendency in Parliament to curtail all subsidies from the consolidated revenue to local bodies, whilst . at the same lime applications for roads, bridges, and such works meet with little favor iirthe House of Representative's. Parliament has almost affirmed that the colony shall

henceforth undertake no public works except t lio construction oP rail wavs. All other works are to he left to local bodies and local contributions. That is undoubtedly the tendency and spirit of recent legislation. Decentralisation is a professed principle of the Ministerial policy; in fact, it has been so of almost every Government. Whether giving effect to the principle nx ill he satisfactory to thinly populated country districts is problematical. Decent raj i: a don is a talcing cry, but when it is found to mean a decreased Government expenditure in rural districts, people will hardly view it with much favor.* The principle that the General G overninentr should have nothing to do with works of a purely local character may he sound in the main, but like a great many other theoretical truths, its adoption may

be found inimical to the interest of the country. Colonel Whitmore defended the county system from the attacks made upon it by Sin D. Bell and other speakers. The Colonial Secretary and Mr Ballaxce are the only members of the Ministry who look with favor oil the Counties Act. The others have not lost their love for provincialism, and they look upon the new system as an abortion. It has been said that a majority of Ministers are working in secret to make the country dissatisfied with the county system. That is a serious charge, which people may well hesitate to believe. It would be more conducive to the retention of their seats, and we suppose that is a main motive with all Ministers, if they honestly set to work to render the present system of local government a success. The country will not return to provincialism, no matter how conspicuous may be the failure of the scheme of government which replaced it.