COUNTY COUNCIL.

West Coast Times, Issue 2463, 22 August 1873, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCIL.

Thursday, Au<Ju|r 2*l.

The Council met at 7.30 p.m. Present— The Chairman, Messrs Cassius, Barff, Dungan, and (^Donovan. The minutes of the previoui meeting were read and confirmed.

THE HONORARIUM.

Mr Cassius sai| t that {$ appeared it devolved upon. nun to move 4 "resolution, to end the difficulty which stood in the way ofconcluding the session — the last of the present body. The last time he was in his place he was about moving the adjournment of the Councli sine die, under the expectation of meeting again to fix the electoral districts for the new Provincial Council, when the Chairman informed the members that before their dismissal he required a decided intimation from them regarding the division of the honorarium. He (Mr Cassius) was taken by surprise at the matter being left until the last moment, as he thought it had been tacitly agreed to, according to the proposmon of Mr Kennedy, and he (Mr Cassius) was prepared to see it carried out in that manner. Person* ally the matter was indifferent to him, and whatever might be his faults no one could accuse him of caring about the money. He had given a silent acquiescence to the mode of distributing the amount, not feeling inclined to argue the matter, but on a previous occasion he had expressed his disapproval of the principle upon which a distinction was made between one member and another, as unprecedented in any of the colonies. Whether right or wrong payment, of members had been adopted all over the colonies, and no one need be ashamed of accepting for Uis services a salary or whatever they might like to call it ; but such ad extraordinary principle as was laid down respecting himself and his colleague (Mr Boriar) he had never heard of in his life. He should like to know why the member for Totara had offered him (Mr Cassius) and his colcolleague (Mr Bonar) a lower wage than to any other of the Councillors. Were their services not worth so much, or was it because they were supposed not to need so much of the money as the others ?. As he had already said, the principle of the payment of members being agreed to there was no shame in accepting the amount, but to make distinctions because one man was supposed to be rich and the other poor was offensive to both parties. He trusted that in any tuture administration a regular scale would be laid down, so that it might be settled who were, and who were not entitled to remuneration. To men in any large way of business or, who had affairs of importance of their own to attend to, even the largest sum apportioned would be no remuneration whatever, while, for all he knew, some members would be glad to work for the same wage all the year t bnnd. W hat remuneration, for instance, was £25 to Mr Kennedy for leaving his business and journeying to and from Greymouth, rstopping in Hokitika for days, when weighty matters needed his presence elsewhere ? But to the man whose principal occupation might be the weighing out of half-a-poud of tea, or the man that worked with the pick and shovel, the remuneration might be more than ample ; for 10s a day a man could be got to weigh out tea and sugar. However, he would not dwell on the subject longer, but wo dd move the division of the amount as was tacitly agreed to when the Estimates were before the Council, viz,, £50 each to Messrs Dungan, O'Donovan, and Barff; and £25 each to Messrs Cuming, Smith and Kennedy. Mr Duugan seconded the motion, snd corroborated the statement of Mr Ca&sius that that was the mode of division understood when that item in the Estimates was under discussion.

After a few words from the Chairman, the motion passed without dissent.

THE ELECTORAL BOLLS. Mr Barff asked when the electoral rolls would be printed ? The Chairman said that when the rolls were supplied by the Registration Officers the printing of them would be immediately proceeded with.

THE AEAHURA BaiDGE.

Mr Barff asked whether any communication had been received from Mr Thompson respecting his bridge ? The Chairman replied that he had received an offer which would be laid before the Tender Committee.

ADJOURNMENT.

On the motion of Mr Cassias, seconded by Mr Barff, the Council adjourned sine die.