THE Wellington Independent. Friday, June 20, 1862. THE PROROGATION.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1733, 20 June 1862, Page 2

THE Wellington Independent. Friday, June 20, 1862. THE PROROGATION.

Thb Provincial Council dosed yesterday p having been prorogued sine die by the Superintendent in the speech which will be found in another column. The only portion of the speech to which we think exception is likely to be taken, is iv relation to the Town Board Aot. There are a very large number of people who, whatever might be the provisions of an Act empowering local taxation, would inevitably oppose it— -who would put up with any amount of mud or filth rather thau contribute a penny to. wards its removal. To argue with these people is simply impossible, anything aud every thin g in the shape of taxationno matter for what purpose, is sure to excite their direst wrath. There are also a much larger number of persons who would gladly permit themselves to be taxed to a moderate amount, provided every one else was so too (as they would be under this Aot) — if they saw ft necessity for it. For our own part we do not yet see a neoassity ; we are satisfied with the course which has been adopted for the last few years, of giving each street the expenditure of double the funds raised for its particular improvement, and the assistance when practicable

of the hard labor gang. Under that system the main streets of the town have been formed — those still unformed heing in districts where houses are sparsa and traffic small j the incidental expenses have been almost literally nothing — manual labor and cart hire being all that has been paid for. Every such work has undoubtedly caused some grumbling; the " willing horse" has usually been put upon, while niggards have buttoned up their pockets and escaped almost scot free ; but under every possible system v? hich has for its object the getting money from every one — whether iv street, district, or townthere must be grumbling to some extent, and so any objection to our present system founded on this propensity of Englishmen, counts for nothing. When our town is more numerously inhabited, the necessity for the operation of a Town BoarJ or Corporation Ast will become self apparent, and then we anticipate that the burden of local taxation will be readily borne by the large majority of the citizens. It will be readily borne now if the necessity can be shown ; but it rests with the supporters of the Town Board Act to show that the necessity for it really exists ; and if the Act is not to become obsolete, they must do so quickly, for if tbe Act is not brought into operation within the next two months it cannot be brought into operation at all. It was at first intended to make* the Act preremptory, and for this purpose clause 8 states that the first election of Commissioners shall take place on the first Monday in September, 1862. Mainly in deference however, to the opposition expressed in this journal to the forcing any such Act on the towuspeople without specially obtaining Jheir consent, a clause was subsequently introduced enacting that the Act should ' not come into operation, until the Superintendent had been memoralised to that effect by a majority, of the electors. I The obtaining signatures to the memorial cannot extend over a long period; if the citizens are not at once oonvinced of the value of this Act, three months hence they cannot bring it iuto force even if they would—the promoters of the Act can ask them any time during the next two months to adopt it; but if they refuse then, there can be no teazing them over an extended period — there can be ho getting a few signatures this month and a few more next. If, therefore, the majority of the electors do not memoralise the Superintendent to ' proclaim the Act sufficiently early to enable the eleotion of Commissioners to take place on the first Monday in next September, the Act cannot come into operation then or afterwards. Having regard to tbe number of electors on the City roll who are either in the country, temporarily absent from the Province, or have permanently left if, we feel certain that it will be utterly impossible to obtain, even under the most favorable circumstances, a numerical majority of registered electors to sign a memorial for the introduction of the Town Board Act j and we shall, therefore, give ourselves no further trouble about it.