The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 3, Issue 232, 8 October 1878, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8.

Some few weeks ago the Government introduced into the Legislative Council two Bills relating to self-government. The first of these is a Bill to amend the Counties Act, in regard to some purely technical points, most Of which' have been recommended by the late Conference, and in which the local bodies are pretty much at one. The Bill, how-every-contains other provisions, of a more sweeping character. Clause 17 proposes to give the County Council power in places where no rate or an insufficient rate in their opinion is collected by any ißoad f t6ijfrfjpge '& jjsi>_r4te jrate ",bnjall -rateable* property within the' district of such Road Board, and the proceeds of such, rate-should be applied -for the construction and maintenance of main roads and district roads in such district." There is also a hr the Bill "by* which any one* who has not paid his rates is prevented from voting. ThiSi clause" weithink no one Can havb any objection to, audit is ; capable of further extention in the direction of making the rate book, the (test of;qtialificatidn in other electldns. . Another ; step proposed in the Bill is also in the; right direction,, viz., the restrictions'/, that', are ' suggested to'be imposed on Counties subdividing. themselves into other counties; : 'It;, is only'" right,, that tli_ facilities;at present 'existing'for. the, creation Of new counties should'be curtailed or modified. \<: At present it is nobody's, business .to oppose, such tions.. The BiU .provides' that the promoters must come before Parliament and receive an affirmation vote. The, number of Councillors at: present are limited to nine, and the day of election. is fixed for a certain day in November. By the Amended Act, the limitation of the number of Councillors is abolished, and the election may be held on any day in November.

The other Bill to which we have referred is the Road Board Bill. This Bill sets out with having for its main object the repealing of all existing Pro l vincial Road Ordinances, of which there are, we believe,- upwards, of twenty-five, and substituting in their place one uniform Road Bill for the whole colony. A distinctly new feature of the Bill is, that it proposes to give to each elector only one vote, the object being to do away with any class distinction that a plurality of votes might give rise to. Another feature of importance in the Bill is, that their functions are subordinated to the County Councils, the powers that used to rest in superintendents will now be vested in the Councills, and the Councils will have the power to alter the subdivisions of road districts. The object the. Government no doubt aims at in the introduction of the two , Bills above roughly indicated, is to harmonize the ■working of Councils and Road Boards by more clearly defining the respective duties and powers, of each, and also to make the legislation of the Colony in all parts uniform. , The question of uniformity may not be' a pressing one, but the question of defining the respective powers of Councils and Road Boards is imminent. Two bodies exist side by side with pretty much the same class of. representatives, and it is only human nature that bickerings and differences of opinion should arise between the two bodies, and during the heated discussions that are apt to ensue, the interest of the ratepayer suffers. ... If, as it was .understood at the time.of the passing of the Comities Act that the Council-was to take the place of the abolished Provincial Councils, why - have 'they"not somewhat of the'powers of the abolished . body. The Road Boards have con--stantly, under the Public Works Act and other Acts, to submit to the Colonial government what might be referred to the Councils, and thus save time, and obtain a consideration more •in keeping with their local character, by the Council. Our readers must have observed from our reports of the meeting of the Akaroa County Council, that some of the local Road Boards are impatient of the slight curb of the Council. If legislative force was given to. the position of the Council many differences which now exist could not possibly arise.' The Council would then have a superior status which would naturally attract the abilities of the best men in the district,, who would be quite above the smaller questions of making a road to benefit Smith ■or Jones, or inserting a culvert for the benefit of Brown. The Colonial Secretary stated, in introducing the meas.ure, that : the Government held a perfectly neutral position in the matter,* aild ! that they •wished "to see both bodies -work- but their own destinies. At any rate the ventilation of the subject wil); have the '• effect of forming public opinion on-the question-, - •". f\ r\ f". f. ' ."■ .'

'From, the report of the proceedings of the ; ■ Legislative Council of' Friday last it; Will be seen that the report of the Committee On the Lakes Ellesrriete and Forsyth and Akaroa Railway Bill was read. The report of the Gom.mittee. states, that the cost of the line to "Little River onlyi will be: not less than £130,000. The Committee also report that the railway, should not be made further than- Little River, The tele-- ; graphic 'report further.states that the Hon. J. Hall was in favor of this section of the worlc only, the Hon. G. M. Waterhouse opposed the' report of the Committee, but on what special grounds we ai-le not informed. The debate on the Bill-was, on the' motion of Colonel Whitmore, adjourned Until Wednesday, the 9th inst., to give him time to consult his' Colleagues on the subject. Of course,

in the absence of the Hansard report of the exact terms of the Committee's report, and the reasons that the gentlemen mentioned gave for the views they took on the question, it would be somewhat premature for us to enter into any criticism of their views. We have always contended that unless the line of railway joined the waters of Akaroa Harbor the Colonial System railways, the line for all practical- pur-' poses might as well be left 'unuaad'e. The,' Committee of the Legislative/" Couneib seem quite to overlook .thej giiestioifp_; the-drainages-Lake \Ellesrn£re, if]' thirds not. done, any railway made to Little River only would skirt on the one side the dreary waste of waters of the lake, and on the other the precipitous hills ? pf the xjnly "I" narybw i strip of; pastoral; laiid dt 'their base and a few gullies, the whole of which.are in the hands of private-indi-viduals. Little River valley is, ;a fine' fyal^ey• "■' capable 7 of _upporti_g a large population, but the land is mostly held in large blocks" by private"settlers' The totara and pine forests of Little River produce an excellent quality 7and| large supply of these timbers, butHhe supplycan oijly last,for a ,few -years^t t mostj and with a railway running to tlie; spot would no'doubt be rapidly put in the market. We have no wish to., decry the advantages of r&ilway commuiucation from Lincoln to the point only the object of the .first, Bill is not being ; .fathfuUy carried out,' knd the labors of the Trust have thus been misdirected.. .•; We> Should waft patieiitly the result of Wednesday's debate,,„and, leave"the matter with the remark-that a line of railway to Little River only will be a fine example of a railway cul-de-sac.