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Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 50, 9 January 1877, Page 2

The remark made by Mr. Baker at the meeting of the Akaroa County Council on Thursday last, that " The Council must adopt either the whole or none of the Act," clearly expresses in a very few words the true meaning of the permissive clauses of the Counties Act. It must be everything or nothing. The moment a County Council adopts a resolution to the effect that it will not bring into operation the clauses menI tioned in the third schedule of the Act, that moment it denudes itself of all power, and becomes a~mere distributive body, whose only function is to meet once a year, in order to hand to the various Road Boards the sums that may have been allocated to them. Such a County Council will be like a body lying corpse-like in a trance, without sign of life, save when acted on by galvanic agency, and ' then after a few spasmodic efforts—when the stimulating power is withdrawn, sinking again into a state of death-like torpor. We trust never to see the County Council of Akaroa in such a condition, and it never, will be, if the members will only bear in' mind the two following propositions. First, that each member represents the whole County as well as the particular Riding that elected him; and, secondly, that it is the duty of each member to seek the good of the whole, rather than that of any particular part, remembering that it is his duty thus to act, despite any " instructions " from any Road Board notwithstanding. The old fable of " The body and its members" contains a most valuable lesson. The members became jealous of the body, conceiving that they were only working for its benefit, and receiving none themselves, and they determined to put a stop to this. Accordingly the hands refused to feed the body, and the feet to walk, and for a time they gloried in having accomplished their end, but, alas! their glory soon vanished. The body languished and decayed, and then, too late, the members found that in accomplishing their end, they had also effected their own destruction. The members of the County Council should recollect that they are not sent there to represent the interests of the Road Boards, but the interests of the people and of the people only. We believe that those interests will be, best conserved by the local self-government of the County being entrusted to one body rather than to several, and that is the reason why we have always, and still advocate the Counties Act being carried out in its entirety. Mr. Fleming, the member for Port Levy, and who we believe is also Chairman of the Road Board, is reported to have said, " That " for his part he would rather see one " managing body—let it be either the " County or Road Board system." We would point out that whilst the adoption of the Act in its entirety will of necessity only provide for one managing body, the adoption of the Road Board system will necessarily involve the management of several, each Road Board having a separate jurisdiction, and probably holding different views as to what is best to be done. ' It will be the old story of " the " body and its members " the whole will suffer because each management will seek only to benefit itself, rather than to promote the welfare of the whole. The advantages likely to be derived from having only one managing body are so obvious that they mnst be patent to all, except, perhaps, to those who are blinded by prejudice, or are hampered with instructions, the latter being mere delegates, and not representatives. For instance, the Connty Council having more funds at its command than any single Road Board, will be enabled to. employ a superior class of men as its officers, men, who in carrying out the works entrusted to them, will neither be fettered by local instructions, nor have their actions worped by local prejudices. At present not one of the Road' Boards in the Peninsula can afford to pay for the services of a competent Engineer to plan and superintend the construction of great works, such as bridges and the

laying out and making of main roads. The County Council could afford to ■ pay such a man, whose services could be profitably utilised, as consulting engineer to the various Road Boards, until they are' gradually absorbed into the .County Council. Hitherto works of this character have been done by an officer of the Provincial Government, but the members of the County Council would do well to bear in mind that his services will cease to be available, and it is not at all likely that the General Government will find officers to be at the beck and call of the Road Boards. We think that we have shown that it would be highly impolitic, nay, more, that it would be positively disastrous to the Peninsula not to bring the Act into force in its entirety. Let the members of the County Council bear in mind Mr. Baker's memorable words— "The Council must, adopt either the " whole or none of the Act" —and then let them throw aside preconceived prejudices, and regardless of "instructions" received —do their duty like men.