LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 642, 8 September 1882, Page 2

LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

To the Editor. Sift, —I cannot help taking a slight review of a letter which appeared in your issue of 22nd August, signed -J. Wilson, as it might mislead people who are not up in the matters of which it professes to treat. The whole letter seems to be a panegyric upon the Little River Road Board, of which I have no doubt Mr Wilson is a leading member and a shining light, and a depreciation of the Akaroa County Council, who seem to have incurred the enmity of that body by having called them to account for Home neglect of duty. Mr Wilson, first of all, finds fault with the Council for not answering the last two questions in the Government circular. I am afraid Mr Wilson's ideas are bounded by the lulls that surroun 1 Little River, and if they do escape, follow the course of the stream th it gives its name to that beautiful valley, and are soon at sea, or he would know that there were very good reasons for their decision. The local government bill was published when the County Council met to answr the circular, and had been altogether changed from the projected one, al>out which they were asked to give their opinion, so it would have been waste of time to do so. Tho Akaroft County Council were not alone in their action, for at a conference of the North Canterbury local bodies, it was unanimously decided not to answer the two la t question**, and indeed anything would have been letter th r\ to h-ive filled the space with the twaddle inserted by the Little River Road Hoard, which, judging from the style of his writing, I should think J. W. was father to, and he ctually hints in his first letter tiiat it had something to do with the Government making np their minds. I think so too, as they B.em to have legislated in an exactly npwoMte direction to that recom— mended by the Little River Uoad Board, in which, of they m ide a mistake Mr Wilson next thinks it a silly and ridiculous thing th-it ciiairnii'ti of County Councils shun d he Justi es of tue Peau", and on this sn i ct gets into pooiry ami' talks about angels w> -eping. Now, as the said chairmen take pr< cudenco of any one* in the county. I do not see then is anything more lidicuKnis in his In ing a J. P. than in the Mivor of a smili borough holding that office. After a terrific onslaught upon the Government, uhi h must make them shake in their shoe-'. Mr Wi sm next teiKs us that through the Little RiV r R m<l Board arid Mr M 'titgome-y th , ? twenty per cent of the land fund vi.l perhaps be secured to the local bodies, w ich is a great comfort to

know. iMr Wi .-on next turn* his attention towards reilucin,' the cost of management, saying this could !>(» greatly effected by tho Akaroa Comity Council h.uiiing over their collecting (iuties to t various Boa<l Boards. Now. everyone knows that most jof the Li-mil Ho mis on the Peninsula are narlly competent to fu'fil their present duties. The Okain's Road Hoard not long ago, before it was reorganized, got into such a muddle that tho public auditor refused to pass its books, and the County Council had to withhold its share of the public money : also the Little River Road Boar.l is said y in thit district to be incompetent. The ratepayers, of that district, >d ft public meeting unaniuioiisly c-iii li'inie 1 their condu t, and sent a deputation to remonstrate with ■hem nt tlieir next nn-e . insr, which ended in a slanging match. '• inutua' recriminations." I tank your correspondent politely put it. Are bodieß like these fi to hold greater power? The cost of inmageme ;t could be considernb y reduced by doing away with the Road Boards and making the Council d i the work for the whole county, but tKe r tep.iyer-. very naturally hnve an affection for tho Boa I Boards, in which 111 mv of th in !mve s ime of their family or friends, on I do n->t mind paying a littlo more to retain them. Mr 'Imp, or prutenls to have, a notion that the Council is a very expent-ive establisment. I cannot see where tlie expense COmeS in ; no doubt it has cost a lit of to put up those large chambers, but that is done and cannot he undone. Their present expenses are a trifle, viz.. clerk's salary, which is a very little hitif any more than the clerk to the Li'tle River Road Board gets, and the expenses of election, which comes only once in three years. I see at tlieir last" meeting there is a notice of motion to rescind the by-law granting travelling expenses to members, which I understand comes to about £40 a year; and I also understand their chairman refuses to take an honorarium or any remuneration whatever. I cannot see that .the dog tax (instanced l-y Mr Wilson) can be collected for less than 5 per cent, as the registrars complain that it does not pay them for their trouble, and I think if the per cen age was raised we should gain by it, as it would encourage them to see the dogs in their district were nil iegistered. But the most awful part of Mr Wilson's letter is the conclusion, where he utters the ominous words, " The sheet is full, but there is more to be said," It should havo something the same effect upon the subsciibers to tho Akak'u Mail as the memorable words of Te Wliiti, " The potato is cooked," had upon the settlers in the Waimate Plains. Morel 0 Lori As thou art strong in words, in mercy

spare. ■> ■ ' A third, alas! were more than we could, bear.

But if, in t-pite of all that I can say, Thr>u .«ctf!) will upward plod thy we.iry w y ; If still, in rnbid letters most uncivil, Thou wilt devote the Council to the d , Subscribers all thy drend intent must rue. God hulp tliee, Wilson, and thy readers too. If Mr Wilson thinks my criticism unfair, I can only remind him of the old proverb About edged tools.—Youra, etc., M. Akaioa, August 26. [Press of news has prevented the appearance of this letter in an earlier issue.]