OUR LOCAL BODIES

West Coast Times, Issue 10337, 29 July 1896, Page 4

OUR LOCAL BODIES

THE WESTLAND COUNTY COUNCIL. This very important local governing body was created under the Counties Act of 1876, upon the abolition of the Provinces in that year — a change, which wiped out our minature Parliament with its wealth of formal procedure. It is singular to note that within the twenty years of the existence of both County and Municipal Government very little change has taken place in the general law affecting this particular branch of local government. The original Act suffered slight i amendment in ita details in the years subsequent tG its enactment, and the law was consolidated m 1886, ten years ago. Under the Consolidated Act the Counties now govern.

The Westland County Council was iiroughtinto existence by virtue of a proclamation issued by the then Governor, the Marquis of Normanby, on the 29th December, 1876. The earliest record of the doings of the Council give the first sitting on the 4th January, 1877. The meeting was held in the Supreme Court House, Hokitika, and a letter read at the meeting from the Hon.iJ. A. Bonar, Exe cutive Officer of the Provincial District of Westland, declared the following gentlemen to have been duly elected members of the Council, viz : — M«\ssr s R. J. Seddon, John M'Whirter and Joseph Beale. (Arahura Riding) ; 11. 1,. Robinson and F. Dale, (Kanien Riding)John M'Gaffin and R. Hitter (Tatara Riding) ; James Coles, (Okarito Riding^ and Joseph Collyer (Jackson Bay Riding) Of the foregoing, it will be noted that Mr M'Whirfcer is still a member of tinCouncil, having sat continuously since the inception of the County Government. It is worth noting, too, that Mr M'Whir ter had the honor of being elected the first County Chairman, by six votes to one, on the motion of Mr bo-lUwii. seconded by Mr Beale. From subsequent records it would appear that the election was illegal, for, at a later meeting, it is recorded that Mr M'Whirter was unani mously re-elected to tho position of Chair man, in consequence of a legal opinion a^ to the validity of tho previous proceed ings. The opinion, by the way, was sup plied by the then Attorney-General, the Hon. F. Whitakcr. Of the other member? of the first Council the name of Mr Seddon will naturally attract general atten tion. Mr Seddon retained his seat until somejf our years ago, when he resigned, owing to the press of his parliamentary auri

ministerial duties. During his connection with the Council, Mr Seddon proved one its most active members, and in the brave days of old, when funds wereplentiful, was one of the hardest working members for his district The mark of his personality is spread throughout the whole of the Council's proceedings. MrJ. Henry Greville— father of the late foreman (Mr C.E. Greville) of the West Coast Times— was the first acting Clerk to the Council, being appointed at a salary of £6 per week. Later on, when the Council declined to bring only a portion of the Act into forcp, applications were called for a clerk at £50 per annum, which brought forth six applicants, from whom Mr fl. Richardson Rae was unanimously elected. The changes in this office since Mr Rae's time are well known and need no recapitulation. The Westland County comprises an area of 4,420 square miles, equal to 2,828,800 acres of land. It is by far the largest County in the Colony, the second largest, Southland County, having an area of 3,852 square miles. The County is at present divided into five Ridings, to be reduced to three next November by ths&malgamation of the three southern Ridings into one. The total population of the County, according to the latest statistics, is 4,723 persons 2922 of whom are mal°s, and 1801 females. The Ara hura R'ding contains 2081 persons,. Kanieri Riding 1967, Okarito Riding 394 Totara Riding 172 and Jackson's Bay Riding 109. It will thus be noted that the population for so large an area is very limited, but more of this anon. When the County was originally created it enjoyed better circumstance? than at present exist. Although the whole of the Counties Act was not immediately adopted, it was not long before it was given entire effect to, and the Council had complete jurisdiction. Road Boards were brought to life in the principal Ridings, and the Council were soon regularly to work transacting unending business— the meetings proving very lengthy owing to the amount of work to *>c disposed of. The Council practically enjoyed the same powers as they do to-day, and our faithful readers are probably well acquainted with the routine at the present time. After a time, the Road Boards were merged, the Council resuming its normal and absolute sway, which it still holds. The question of success or failure in local Government may be gauged, in fact is gauged, by the measure of the finances. A full treasury is a signal of success, and an empty purse and an abnormal overdraft spells failure. The ups and downs of financial troubles have been the lot of the County Council of Westland. When originally established, the County was endowed with very respectable powers, and by means of the GoMfields Revenue, the Gold Duty, the Rating of Crown Lands, Publicans' Licenses and other lucrative sources, all went merry as a marriage bell. But the best of friends must part, if the accepted phrase of life is to be believed, and when the " outsiders," we had almost written " outlanders," saw the thousands that were falling to the lot of those Counties blessed with Crown Land 3, the powers that be, were importuned, and in a fell moment the fruitful source of revenue was first clipped and finally entirely cut off. And this is not the worst feature of the transaction. To this day the memory of that past is as water to a fire to many of those who still sit in high places, and adjust our representation, and a modest request for the reenactment of the measure draws forth the w ldest opposition from those who seem to think that the Counties can go on for ever living on the few thousands they drew in tho^e years- from this source. But this was not the only loss sustained The Gold Duty— Class Tax, Sir— had to go by the board, and another feather less was lost to fly with. In this particular, however, the Legislature endeavoured to be fair (?) For have they not enacted the Mining Property Rating . Act —a measure, gauged by local experience, which hardly pays for its enforcement. But there was something more about the law of Substraction to be demonstrated. The law of Addition was tried, and we find heavy charges placed at the doors of local bodies for Hospital and Charitable Aid maintenance, and, now-a-days, we have the spectacle of a body such as the County Council, with its small revenue, having to pay over nearly a third of its gross receipts for charity. Much that the lesses above mentioned are to be deplored, this addition proved one of the most unwise acts in the tinkering that has gone on of late, and is, in a great measure responsible for the speedy collapse of local Government. The provision/of funds for charity is entirely foreign to the original functions of County Councils, and to this particular, as much as any other, in this district is the break down at fault.

(To be contnuetl.)