THE NEW COUNTY OF WESTLAND ACT.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 397, 7 November 1868, Page 2

THE NEW COUNTY OF WESTLAND ACT.

(From the Gray River Arr/us.)

One of the few good results to this district from a very profitless session of Parliament, is the New County of Westland Act, which, passed late in the clay, and fortunately escaped the " slaughter of the innocents" with which every session is wound up. This Act has been framed upon the recommendations of the County Council, and is a great improvement upon the crude Act under which the County was established.. It confers upon the Council the power which, from the first we contended it ought to wield—that of disposing of its own revenue by direct vote, instead of having to " recommend" the various appropriations. Its control over the revenue of the County will now be supreme, as no Governor's Delegate will for the future hold a veto-power overits votes, to say which of them will be brought info force and which quietly shelved. The Council is now declared to be a corporate body, with a common seal, and power over the County much the same as a Borough Council has over a Municipality—the power to make and enforce byedaws, and to hold property in trust for the • County. It will have full control over all main roads and bridges with power to levy tolls thereon. But'the greatest concession to the principle of local self-government which is made by the Bill is the placing of the power to elect the County Chair, maninthehands of the County Couucil, instead of, as heretofore, his being the nominee of the Governor, and the division of the Gold Field Districts into electorates—that is, in place of there being a general election of members for the country districts, each mining centre will now return a member of its own, who will represent the individual interests of the several districts, as well as the larger and more general interests of the whole County. These electoral districts are arranged thus :—For the to.vns of Hold tika and'Greymouth, two members each, and one member for each of the following : Paroa, Arabura, Kanieri, Totara, and Okarita, which.is a very fair and equitable distribution of the representation of the County.