Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price 1d. WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 1885. The County Council Conference and Sir Julius Vogel.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XVIII, Issue 1707, 15 July 1885, Page 2

Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price Id. WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 1885. The County Council Conference and Sir Julius Vogel.

I’iiK members of the Population from the County Council Conference who on Friday last waited upon Sir Julius Vogel at \’v ellington, did not gain much by vlint, proceeding, Mr Sutton, as Chairman of the Conference, said i ha, the Local ,11.Mies Finances and and Cowers Bill was based on data with respect to subsidies which were absolutely unreliable. Sir Julius Vogel rejoined that the figures had been obtained fiom the local bodies themselves and were quite accurate. La'cr ~n, Sir Julius told Mr Sutton that as the Hawkcs Bay County had received £ LI,UOO durinjr the three years the Hoads and Bridges Act was in force, it was only natural that ifawkes Bay should remain loyal to the .Roads and Bridges Construction Act. _Mp Sultou replied that ho did not believe hiscounr.y had received £■> too. Sir Julius Vogel remarked th t the figures wore supplied by t ! 'j ollicials, and were indubitable'. M- Sutton, however, know positively that his r unity had not received the £II,OOO, so ho telegraphed to Mr G. T. Fannin, the County Clerk, for hit irniation, and received a reply to the elect that the total amount received under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act was £JS39, It is very remarkable that Bir Julius Vogd should have made so gross a mistake in so simple a matter as this. It is significant that the delegates from other County Councils positively declared that the figures put forward by the Government as to the amount of subsidies iveeivm! under the Roads and .Bridges Act, were altogether wrung. The subject of roads through Crown Lands was then taken up, an opinion being expressed by the deputation that the power to open up such roads should be given to the County Councils. On this point it was represented that the dual control of the roads by the Survey Department and the local bodies was productive of a good deal of mischief. The fixing and grading of the road lin-s should bo left to the County Councils, as they were charged with the duty of maintaining them The Survey Department had not engineers ’ay oil’ the roads. They were often done by mere cadets, and wore nothing more or loss than paper roads. Someilung was then said on the subject cf hospitals and charitable aid, but no definite result was arrived at. Then there was a di’mission mi the Local Bodies Finance and Rowers Bill, in the course of which Mr Hawkins said "that the county of Wairarapa Fast was levying a rate this yyir of ,£ R)UO.

They had 200 miles of main a ml, which was being metalled aiul bridged on the understanding that they could get contributions from the Eoads ana Bridges Construction Ace !ho utmost they could do with a three farthings rate was to keep Iho roads in repair. All they had received under ibo Eoads and Bridges Con structiun Act was throo-cighths of what thev had applied for. In Wairarapa West they must cease to extend their main roads, because no funds wore provided There was so much in which the Government wore insullleiently informed that the Conference urged them to pause and issue a Ko val Commission, as hud been originally intended. The Koads and Bridges Construction Act would bo sufficient tor the needs of the year.”

To all those representations Sir Julius Vogel gave no satisfactory or definite reply. Ho said that witii respect to the distribution of the funds the plan was open to question, and strong represent aliens had been made to the Government that they should be divided between the County Councils and Eoad Boards. If a better plan could bo devised, the Government wore open to consider it. The main principle was that the Government should cease to give grunts from loans for the construction of roads and bridges. Then lie repeated his erroneous statements with reference to the amounts which the counties bad received under the Eoads and Bridges Construction Act, asserting that Wairarapa East had been paid £42,387, and Wairarapa West £13,000. It is a pity that Messrs Buchanan aud Beetluun were not present so that they might have taken the opportunity of challenging those figures, if they were incorrect. The delegates present all declared that the figures referring to the amounts paid to their counties are altogether wrong, and it is therefore likely enough that those referring to the Wairarapa counties were wrong also. Mr Hawkins emphatically declared that Wairarapa East had not received the amount stated There was nothing further done. Sir Julius Vogel biamUv assured the deputation that ho would lay their views before the Cabinet, and the deputation, being able to got nothing more definite out of him, had to depart from the Ministerial presence imbued with the conviction that they had effected nothing. Wo really don’t know how this Local Bodies Einanco and Powers Bill is going to work —should it become law. it Kceuis to uk to bo a mere juggle —a fraud, a delusion and n, snare, ’•'ho Eoads and Bridges Construe! ion Bill was cue which people conhl understand. This new measure of Sir Julius Vogel’s nobody pretends to understand. It is the outcome of “ those ways that are dark aud tricks that are vain,” for which Sir Julius like “ the heathen Chinee,” “is peculiar,’’