Original Correspondence

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 555, 8 November 1881, Page 2

Original Correspondence

LOCAL GOVU U NIIKNT. To the Editor.

Sitt, —In your issue of: the 21st ultimo you publish ''Old Resident's" letter. Two correspondents have referred to it but not fully ; in fact, each of them appears so intent on eulogising the Road Boards and depreciating the Council, that several interesting and important matters involved in the consideration of th; letter are entirely lost sight of. With yolir uer-

mibsioii [ will attempt to in soma degree remedy this.

'•(Jiil lii'sident" says, "Wβ are in no b"!trr puskion than wo were in two or three years ago, so why keep up the expeine of two bodies, when it rests with the ratepayers to abolish the Road Boards?" Now here is, advertently or otherwise*, a confusion of ideas p esenled to the mind. Sam is said to be dead, theiefore hang Jack! Indeed! But we must not hang Jack till it is shown that Sam is dead, that Ins death re.-ulted from violence, and that the violence originated with Jack.

It was alleged that we are in no better position now than we were when the Council was iirst constituted, three years ago. This would seem to imply that we had derived no boiu-fit from the proceedings of the latter body and be i cause for dispensing with it, rather than one for abolishing the Road Board, as remarked by the ' : Kaituna Ratepayers."

I say in the foregoing '" seemed to imply,' , because it may fairly be alleged, thai the fact of no material progress having been made during the period iridi - cated would not be conclusive evidence of incapacity in either body, or afford just grounds for the abolition of either. Other causes may bo found for this state of quiescence, such as the marked diminution of funds available, which of itself must of necessity lie a check to progress, and this would be intensilied by the wide-spread effect of the financial convulsions that have so shaken the colony. In rowing , against wind and tide the absence of progression is not always evidence of a lick of skill or power in the oarsmen.

Evidence tv support a demand for reform in the administration of both bodies appears abuii laiitly, but not for the abolition of one or either.

A.gain " Old Resident" appears to assume, as a matter of coui-e, that the coexistence of the two institutions must of necessity eventuate in ineroised expense, bat this I hold to be an unjustifiable assumption, and contend that we have a right to anticipate a result exaetly'thc reverse. The County Council should be the means of preventing many a mistake, and mistakes are costly, and it should be the means of fostering and promoting many a desirable work, which does not come within the especial province of any Road Board, such as railway extension, the attainment of access to, and the improvement of the harbor, the construction of tho Summit track, the guarding and development of our railway endowment, and the general encouragement of every work having for its object the well being of the settlers. These are praiseworthy objects.

What has biiun done by Council and Boards must not be regarded as the gauge of their capabilities, nor must t.ieir destruction or preservation be determined by it. Tney, like oar uoots and breeches, were made to promote our comfort and convenience. If the latter don't suit us we don't dispense with thorn, but have them alterud, and we should do the same with our institution-, which are more essential to our Wfll-being.

But to proceed. "OKI Resident" says. '' Thei'j is not tlie slightest doubt in my mind tint the Counties Act \v s intended to do away with *i great many oL : tli<' Hiuall local bodies, of which tli.-ro is such a largo number in New Zealand. Now, tliis is a vi-ry siguilkent passage and demands the ii.sp:-ci;il attention ol ; our !-etclt;r-=. Out iiiiiueroiM siiiiill local bodies are to be absorbed i>y ono hrg-? one. These small bodies in tlieir vario.is localities attend vijiuntariiy, and as representatives, to afL'drs al't'cting their own and their neighbors' well-being. This they do, with the most c>lll,>K*te knowledge or the requirements v. llu-ir respective localities, ami th it without grattiiiy. All these are to !)■' with, and one large body is to be Htibstiitiled to pur orm the various duties, as''Old Resident " intimates, in a more eiteetive. economical, and satisfactory manner. Tnis is his contention, but [ must beg to dilter f out him entirely as to the expediency of the course ho advocates, and the consequences to result from it. I admit that the course proposed is what many desire, but, who are the many ? Not the settlers themselves, for unfortunately they are too well satislied with things as they are —much better satislied than 1 am ; but the ''many" will be found to consist of those who are averse, to manual labor, but who desire to get their ringers into the public purse, (or in other words into the pockets of the ralepayers) of those who desire to perpetmte genteel existence by substantial emoluments derived from unsubstantial labors. In these will be found the chief opponent? to the existence of the " small local bodies to very numerous in New Zealand," who presume to attend to what is in an especial degree their own business—and tint without gratuity.

Our Provincial Governments may have been based tm a constitution theoretically perfect, as alleged by Sir G. Grey, but utter demoralization was displayed in their administration and they degenerated into mere institutions for the production of officials. Of these the country is now full, and their numbers and intelligence give them influence of a weighty character, and the existing Government groans loudly and pathetically under the burden thus imposed upon tin? country. If the numerous local bodies could be abolished, occupation could to some extent be found for this class.

I know little of the characteristic of the administration ofthesu various lo.ml bodies in other places, tint in this Peninsula to apply the term " unsatisfactory " to them is to apply much too mild a term. But unsatisfactory as it may be, it is metre pleasant than being governed by officialdom, and far more economical, also possessing abounding elements ot : an eariy improvement in effi ieucy. It an instance of what a large, highly organised, and wellpaid body of officials can do for us is wanted, I would point to the Survey Department. Will the term unsatisfactory" he sufficiently strong to apply to their Peninsula work ? Inefficient and unpatriotic as many of our local bodies may be, the work they have done is incomparably superioi to " that of this department, as regards efficiency, and signally so also as respects cost. If our Road Boards have thrown away money by handfulls, this department have thrown it away by double handfulls. Away then with the idea of abolishing the numerous local bodies, and substituting a department of officials to do the work the former should do. I would urge this view strongly upon the ratepayers. We have a magnificent country virtually all our own. We have institutions that cannot in point of excellence be well matched, We have men and women with brains and energy. What then do we lack V, Why knowledge and patriotism.

\\y acquiring tlicse, we I ecomo qua'ilied to admiiii.-.t( j r offijiently our institutions an 1 tliiisu wo can acquire by bestowing upon, our own minds, and upon our boys and girls, an amount of solicitude equivalent to thnt we bestow upon our dogs and shef'p, our horses and cittle.

It is not surprising , that we are lacking in t-oino respects, for church and state liave systematically for centuries kept the people, as a mass, in ignorance of what were their riglus and what thei' , duties ; cramming thorn meantime with catechisms and creeds. But men of noble minds and noble natures, wil.li large love for humanity, have won for us Liberty ; nnd iU merely rests with us to utilise it. We can do this by cherishing our local institutions, and striving to admini.-ter them zealously, patriotically, and without feeing of any kind. As contended in my last letter, liberty is useless it not developed; and numerous local bodies with powers of self-government, are the means by which it can be developed, nnd are inseperabie from it. Lop all the branches from your trees, and you destroy your shelter and shade, your flowers and fruit "Abolish your numerous local institutions." and thi result is as certain as relates to liberty. She is fettered and her efforts to serve you are impeded. It is with some regret that I have presumed, recently, so much upon your space. But I did not like the drift that some of your correspondents sought to give to public opinion among our hills, and would make some attempts to counteract it.— Yours etc..

G. It. JOBLIN, Little River, Nov. 5, 1881.