The Waipawa Mail Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays. Saturday, January 16, 1886.

Waipawa Mail, Volume IX, Issue 881, 16 January 1886, Page 2

The Waipawa Mail Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays. Saturday, January 16, 1886.

THE POLITICAL THERMOMETER. A most amusing skit appears in the Pall Mall Gazette under this heading, which has the additional recommendation of being true to life. It traces the career of an average Socialist from the first stages of his malady until he reaches the final stages of respectable thoughtfulness and evinces staunch feelings of respect for his country and its existing institution. It may be imagined what a very wide gulf must lie between these two extremes, but it is no uncommon occurrence for men to traverse it. The hero of the skit rejoices in the name of John Smith ; his age is 14 years ; he is homeless, and believes that one man is as good as another. A Street Arab is a man, a King is a man ; John Smith founds on this undeniable anxiom the argument tlmt they are therefore equal Euclid, indeed would have proved, it were proof considered necessary ; though of course we do not accuse John Smith of knowing anything of the prince of squaros and triangles. Equality, if not boiling hot bloodshed, and revolution. The thermometer at this stage registers at boiling point. Time wears on, and John Smith is apprenticed to doll-making, and looks on boys who are not apprenticed as below him. But he is a radical. The thermometer is now observed to be cooling ; it stands a few degrees below its former register. Our hero has served his time when next Jhe

comes before us, and believes the journeyman to be superior to the apprentice. He is a constant attendant at Dodger's Hall Forum, and even, becomes a “ modified radical,” and believes he might be made president of the Republic. John Smith waxes older, and again we stumble across him in our search after knowledge. He saves money, and enters into matrimony with a well-to-do publican’s daughter. He has ideas of the rights of property, which he finally concludes ought to be respected. lie, goes to Dodger’s Hall less frequently ; and becomes an advanced Liberal. The thermometer has cooled to a marvellous extent by this time, and shews signs of further depression. Mr John Smith becomes a lauded proprietor on a small scale. His ideas of rights of property are strengthened. The thermometer stands at midway between boiling point and zero, and his friends call Mr Smith a “ Liberal.” Agaiii we hear of this individual with the uncommon name, and now he is a town councillor. He thinks of settling down and would like to buy a park. Ultimately he purchases Gooseberry Hall Estate. Mr Smith begins to think his daughter ought to be respectably connected ; ho becomes mayor, and his daughter does marry well, being selected by Sir as a partner, and being afterwards presented at Court. Mr John Smith’s next step up the ladder (the thermometer now stands at a point marked “ Conservative with Liberal tendencies ”) is to become President of the Dirty Street Sunday 2dorning Society ; he receives royalty and is knighted. The mercury is now close to the base of its column of glass ; and we read the mark “ Tory ” at its top. Then comes the final notice concerning this great man, “ John de Mauprat Smyth,” his son barrister-at-law, 8.A., becomes M.P. in the Conservative interest. We glance at the thermometer and there discover the mercury, which was a shert while ago surging at boiling point, lying peacefully at the bottom of the tube ; and if we catch a glimpse at Mr de Mauprat Smyth’s papa we should, perhaps remark a similar change in him since the time when he started by swimming with the stream of socialistic madness and communisim and ended by settling on its banks, a peaceful aud respected citizen.

BY CASH OR BY OVERDRAFT? The question of spending money is the most important of all those with which a County Council lias to deal. The ratepayers elect their representatives to undertake the management of a variety of public matters, no doubt ; but the manner in which the expenditure of money is authorised is undoubtedly of more moment in the eyes of the constituents than any other business with which they have to deal. The Waipawa County Council has almost always met its liabilities or given relief to its ridings, by overdrawing its banking account. But for the separation which took place some little time ago, it is possible that this indebtedness to the Bank might never have been got rid of, and the Council would always have had it to contend with. The formation of the Patangata County Council has in a measure lessened the liabilities of all the ridings, and it is now that an opportunity is afforded the ratepayers and Councillors of deciding whether they prefer to keep comparatively free from debt, or whether they are willing to allow the Council to become involved once more. This applies as much to the one Council as to the other. At their last meeting the Councillors of Patangata gave the subject some consideration, although no definite decision was arrived at as to whether their bank account should be permitted to remain in a chronic state of debit We think the matter should be settled while there is time, otherwise the liabilities will continue to increase until they finally become too great to be removed. There is a tendency amongst all the councillors of each body to allocate the rates raised in a riding for expenditure in that riding. A similar tendency in the old couucil was the chief cause of the huge overdraft which had occurred at the time of the separation. When a riding had no funds and still wanted money, a grant was made aud its own private account debited with the amount. Then another councillor would ask for the sum which was lying to his credit in the council’s ledger, and it had to be granted. The result of this was that the council actually voted away more than its income, by allowing fictitious credits to justify tlieir action. The fault lay with the resolution which entitled each riding to claim the amount of its rates ; this was the cause. The effect was that the members for overdrawn ridings were treated—we will not say carelessly—too leniently by the rest of the council. The latter knew well enough that an undue expenditure in an indebted riding would not effect their own districts, and most of the requests were granted after a little formal discussion. If the Council had made a rule that the wants of the most deserving ridings should take but that under no circumstances should the bank account be overdrawn, each application for money should have been treated with care, and no member would have received more than his riding really deserved. There are, of course, many things to he said in defence of the system which the old Council used to employ, bul we believe that the resolution relating to the expenditure of money in ridings was. on the whole, more prejudicial than beneficial in his results. Probably under the old regime, things would never have been altered. Now, both councils have an opportunity of putting themselves upon a firmer and more rational footing. They have given the riding system a fair trial, and it has proved a failure. Let them now try something else. As we have pointed out before, tlie new system of voting money where it is considered to be most needed, is accompanied by danger in one form at any rate. It places a power in the hands of a majority, should there happen to he one. This power may be abused, bufc it is to be hoped that the representatives of the ratepayers can shew sufficient good sense to abstain from taking, or even asking for more than their due. Let councillors agree to abolish the system of making grants at random—whether they have funds at their disposal or not—falling hack upon the banks for assistance and easing tlieir consciences by making entries to the credit of the ridings, which are really nothing more than fiictitious in their nature. Of course these suggestions are not made with reference to the immediate working of the County Council that has just been established ; it will have no funds until next year’s rates are collected and there is but one system it can adopt. The lines we have indicated relate rather to the permanent management of the 'country matters, after the local bodies have had time to set themselves upon a good commercial footing.