The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 1887 LOCAL BODIES AND THE JUBILEE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1555, 11 May 1887, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 1887 LOCAL BODIES AND THE JUBILEE.

It would have been wiser on the part of the Government if they had taken means to ascertain the mind of hon. members generally (as could easily have been done) before giving notice to introduce their Local Authorities Jubilee Expenditure Bill. That Bill was designed to enable any local authority should it see fit, to contribute out of its funds any sum or sums of money, m taking part m the Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen m the present year, and, as drafted, provided that such contribution might be by way of grant or subscription to one or more objects of commemoration either i/; or out of the colony, or might be expended m public rejoicings or demonstrations of any kind m the colony. In moving the second reading Sir Julius Yogel admitted at once the inexpediency of enatl ng the ratepayers' funds to be expended without the colony and indicated that m Committee the proposals of the Bill would be modified accordingly, but he went on to show that without special authority, such as the Bill would confer, no governing body could expend any part of its funds for any such purpose even within the country itself. It was shown that the O'ty Council of Dunedin and the city fathers of one or two othei municipalities, desired to go m for Illuminations fireworks, etc, and that this could not be done under the law as it stands except at the personal cost and charges of the Councillors themselves. But admitting that this was so, the general sense of the House was strongly against the proposals of the Bill, and we think very properly so. Not that the House is out of sympathy with the public rejoicing at the completion^ fifty years of Her Majesty's beneficent and gloriousjreign, but that it was shown conclusively that any special legislation, such as that proposed, musl have had the eflect of almost compelling local bodies to vote furids for jubilee rejoicings even when they had no funds to spare, and were perhapj even heavily m. debt, lest by not doing as others they should incur the stigma of disloyalty. At the same time the House was placed m a difficulty, as ii would not have looked well that a Eill with such a title and object should be absolutely rejected and thrown out. The Government, therefore, acted veiy wisely m withdrawing it, but would have been wiser, (as we have already said) ii they had made a little enquiry before bringing it forward at all.