The Ashburton Guardian, COUNTY AGRICULTURAL & SPORTING RECORDER. TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 1880.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 1, Issue 137, 10 August 1880, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian, COUNTY AGRICULTURAL & SPORTING RECORDER. TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 1880.

At the Borough Council meeting last night a most unpleasant discovery was made—viz., that by some inadvertence, or want of knowledge of the law relating to those Government sweets—now things of the past—the pound for pound subsidies, on the part of those guiding pur municipal affairs last year, the Borough had lost a sum equal to the whole of its rates for the year 1879. The pound for pound subsidy had not been received by the Borough during the year 1879, and the present Mayor had recently written to Mr. E. G. Wright to ascertain what was required to be done by the Boyough to entitle it to the subsidy. Mr. Wright wrote in reply that, in .order to qualify the Borough to participate in the pound for pound subsidy for 1879, it was necessary that a rate should have been struck, and a claim sent in on or before Ist May, 1879. This, it appears, was not done, and as a result some £1,200 or so has been lost to the Borough. It will bo remembered that some trouble arose last year over the making out of the roll, and the valuer was allowed two months to finish it. The delay has been fatal to the Borough’s claim, and it is not to be wondered at when, a substantial loss like this has been suffered that Mr. St. Hill should “let out” pretty roundly at somebody, though we fail to see why he should have directed his reproaches at the Clerk any more than at the then Mayor and Councillors, who were all equally to blame, with the Clerk. It is no use cryover spilt milk, and the members of the Council, we fear, as well as the ratepayers will have to grin and bear it. Perhaps at that sweet time in the Council’s history when the Chamber was the airing ground of Councillors’ eloquence more than the scene of practical business, had there been less feeling and more work, there would have been time found to look after trifles like £1,200 of subsidy ; but there was so much “you’re anothering” round the Council table at that highly oratorical period that a matter so unimportant as a half of the municipal revenue might, of course, easily be overlooked —and, apparently, it has been.