COUNTY COUNCIL ELECTION.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 557, 15 November 1881, Page 5 (Supplement)

COUNTY COUNCIL ELECTION.

Gentlemen,—l am sorry to say that my health is in such a state that it is impossible for me to meet you this evening, as I wished to do, but there are things I can tooint out in writing which I will endeavor to do. In the first place, at the last meeting Icalled to get the opinion of the different Eoad Boards, it was construed by several gentlemen that I was in favor of the County Council being aboliehed. I distinctly stated at that meeting that the County Council should be more economically worked than it is at the present time, and I am still of the same opinion as 1 was then, and nothing can induce me to think otherwise. The Road Boards, as you are all aware, have clone all the hard and dirty work of the county under very great difficulties, and without any remuneration. Now, there are a small party who think that because most of the'/oads are formed, thebridgea made, and nearly all roads in the Peninsula are completed, they could do the whole of the Work on the Peninsula with an engineer and staff in their employ. Now, I should like to ask any ratepayers whether they know of any .engineer and staff that is in existence under all the Eoad Boards of the Peninsula now. If the Road Boards merge into the County Council you will very soon see the error you have made, and that you have made such an error as you will always regret. Now, gentlemen, j I am going to state what my views are on County Council matters. Ido not intend to try to upset the County Council, but I should endeavor not to allow the Council to strike a rate, or even to have a rate-roll made, for it is impossible for the ratepayers to meet the two rates, and I think it must have been a blunder of the Government to allow the two bodies to become rating bodies. I think the County Council might be made useful and do a deal of good by becoming a distributing body, that is to say, if the Councillors held a say, about four times a year, and to distribute the license fees, dog taxes, etc., or any other moneys that might be accruing from {he Government from time to time, to the various Road Boards. I hope the ratepayers will not shut their eyes to the fact thar the Council have great powers—.more than I think they should havo been endowed with—and the ratepayers should watch thoroughly the men elected to represent them. The Council has the power to at once strike a shilling rate, and as many other special rates as may be required, with the sanction of the public. Now, thp Road Boards have not this power, which I think is a very good thing for the ratepayers that they have not; and the next thing is the management of distributing dog collars, which I think under the present system is very badly managed. Under the present system each collector of dog taxes gets 2i per cent., which I do not think is too much ; but if this were put into the hands of the sergeant of police, and he were paid 2$ per cent, of all dog taxes on the Peninsula, I guarantee it would be a saving of about 20 per cent, to the ratepayers in a year, for my opinion is that not more than twothirds of the dogs on the Peninsula are registered, so that the fines on these dogs would be a considerable amount in the year ; and I consider it very unfair that the owner of a good cattle or sheep dog has to pay the tax on his dog, while perhaps the owner of a useless cur is flowed to go scot-free without payment. I should also like to bring before your notice that the County Council members are voted in for three years, and I consider this is a wrong system, and that the Councillors should be elected every year, so that they should be approachable every year by the ratepayers, in the same manner as the Road Boards, so that if the man sent to represent them does not suit them, he can give place to some one more suitable. Now, gentlemen, I havo given you my views on these matters, and if you think me worthy of your confidence, I solicit your support, and, if elected by you, 1 shall do my best to get the Council to work as a distributing body only, without making use of its rating powers, and should see that the most rigid economy was obperved in all matters, not only concerning Berard, but the whole county, to the best of my ability, and I am sure I shall have your confidence and be returned at the top of the poll. I am very sorry 1 cannot meet you this evening, as I am suffering from a very severe cold and am unable to leave my bed.—Yours respectfully, B. Shadbolt. Head of the Bay, 12th Nov., 1881. Mr Chappell moved and Mr Sager seconded a vote of thanks to Mr Shadbolt for his address which was carried unanimously. .-,,,, Mr Chappell then rose and said he had much pleasure in being present but was sorry to see so few in attendance. He thought they had made a mistake regarding the voting powers of the County Council and would read them the following extract from Hansard. "In the House of Representatives, Mr Seddon, in asking leave to introduce this Bill, said its object was to give powers to County Councils similar to those granted under the Municipal Corporations Act. It would amend the existing law so as to enable the County Councils to strike rates, even though there were Road Boards in the district, which, under ihe existing Act, had power to strike rates. At present a County Council was not empowredto strike a rate, although the Road Boards might refuse to axercise their power. Another amendment was necessary in the existing Act to enable County Councils to strike a rate of more than a shilling in the pound if they thought it desirable to do so. It was also desirable that the County Councils should have the pow t to expend money on works other than water-races on fri-old fields. There were other works on The gold fields on the West Coast which it wos'desirable the County Councils should assist the other local bodies in carrying out but the existing Act did not permit the County Councils to do so, and it was necessary that these increased powers should be givon to the County Councils. There were many other matters in connection with the County Council system which We defective not dealt with in this Bill, but if honorable members had an opportunity of considering the Bill those defects bbb'.d life considered in dealing with this

• A meeting to hear the views of Messrs Shadbolt and Chappell on County Council matters was held at the Akaroa and )Vainui Eoad Board office, Head of the Bay, on Saturday evening. Mr G. Checkley was appointed chairman and called on Mr Barwick to read an address from Mr Shadbolt as that gentleman was {oo ill to attend. Mr Barwick then read the following : — To the Electors and Ratepayers of the

Berard Riding

measure. There was another Bill on the Order Paper, but he doubted very much whether they would have an opportunity of discussing it. Feeling that to be the case, he had taken the opportunity of asking leave to introduce this Bill, so that the amendments he proposed therein might be carried into effect. He asked leave to introduce the Bill.

Leave, granted, and Bill read a first time." He believed that the Council had no power of rating without the consent of the ratepayers. It was not easy to do away with the County Council. Forty Hoard Boards had presented a petition through Sir George Grey, to have Councils, in the North Island, dons awny with, but they had not been able to carry it through. He thought, however, that the County was very unevenly represented in the County Council. For instance, taking the rateable value of the property rate consideration, Berard should have two representatives if Wainui had one. ■ The rates collected in 18SO-81 in Berard had been £427 3s, and in Wainui only £17G, and yet in 1880 no less than £1882 18s 9d had been spent there against £982 9s 8d in Berard. Mr Baker : " How much of that was a special grant ?" Mr Chappell said the Mount Bossn grant had been £1549 14s, but he knew that since 1872 there had been £11001 8s 10d spent' in Wainui, against £9190 4s spent in Berard. He was therefore of opinion that Berard had not its fair amount of representation. He thought the Council should not use their rating powers, and should meet about four times yearly to distribute the funds that might accrue to them. lie did not believe in the Council having an engineer, as it would cost at least £500 per annum. The Reid Boards had done their work without pay, but the Conncii were all paid. There should be no lionororiuin, and half a guinea each was sufficient for members expenses at each meeting. They should save all their money to put it on the roads, and. for his part he should like to have seen those grand Council chambers done away with, and the money they cost expended on the roads too (applause).

Mr Baker asked what money had been spent in Wainui before 1872. He understood that tho reason so much had been spent there latterly was, that the main roads had all been male at an earlier date in Berard.

Mr Chappell said that half the expenditure in main roads had been in the Wainui Biding from the Head of the B.iy to Red John's gully.

After long discussion during which Mr Cbappoll pointed out that there was a great extent of country in Berard Hiding without roads, and that even the first section sold in Berard had no road to it, Mr Chappell said in answer to Mr S'iger that he meant to support Road Boards.

Mr Brooks moved a vote or thanks to Mr Chappell for his address which was carried unanimously.

Mr Baker said as lie had called a meet ing for Monday he should not speak.

In reference to loud calls. Mr Brooks stepped forward and said that they knew he was all for the Road Board. He *ii 1 not wish to do away with the County Council but should like to see it more useful and thought if it met less often i would be a saving of expense. He thought it would be a good plan to adopt the Ward system in the Road Boards to ensure an equality of expenditure. He did not believe in the Council either rating or borrowiug.

A vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the meeting.