TOWN EDITION. The Daily Telegraph FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1881.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3129, 8 July 1881, Page 2

TOWN EDITION. The Daily Telegraph FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1881.

In the course of tbe debate that ensued on Mr Murray's motion in reference to local government, the Premier said that it was impossible for the Government to fairly speak in a debate of that kind before the House had before it the statement promised by the Colonial Treasurer in his Financial Statement, and the bills which he had proposed to introduce, in which the views of the Government would 1 be clearly put forward. The Premier did not wisa to stop the debate, but hoped it wonld be adjourned until the Government had had an opportunity of stating to the House and country what they proposed to do. The Financial Statement has now been -made, and we are under the impression that the proposals of the Government as stated by the Colonial Treasurer will not meet with the general approval of the country. The proposals, indeed, merely relate to local Bnancen, nnd do not touch the chief cauee of complaint against the county system, which in nothing more nor less than that it does not provide the people with local government. Major Atkinson's pro posals are almost identical with those of last session, which were so ill received that the Government found it prudent to abandon them, at least, for that year. The cold meats have now been taken out of the Ministerial pantry, and haohed up as something though not quite fresh still tasty and fairly digestible. In this form it may make an acceptable dish to palates of Mr Sutton's character, but by those who want something more substantial this nasty compound that is to be the piece de resistance of a Centralistic banquet it will be

rejected. The Government ba*e their proposals entirely on the tuppostition that all they have to do is to finf! money for the local bodies to spend in making roads, and that the people will be safis- ' ned, and the country demand nothing more. The Government, in overlooking the fact that the people are insisting upon the right to govern themselves, give them money and tighten tbe cords of centralism round the limbs of tbe country. There is only one portion of tbe proposals that will generally commend itself, and that is in relation to the rating of Crown and native lands. But even this is spoiled by if being intended to pay the rates on native lands out of consolidated revenue: then, in course of time, when the Maoris dispone of their land byeither sale or lease, the sums paid by Government on that Innd as rates to the local body are to be repaid by the purchaser or Icsee, as the case may be, in the form of stamp duty on the convey»nce. Tho effect of this will be that an intpnding purcuHSPr, taking into consideration tbe back rates he has to pay on the land, will offer such a price that will be refu-ed by tbe native owners. The proper title for this proposal should be " a scheme for the effectual locking-up of native lands." Although Major Atkinson is under the impression that it would be a mistake to make the natives pay the rates themselves, we think it a much greater mastake to pay those rates for them. It the natives could only pay the rates with difficulty, they would have their remedy in the sale of land that they could not make profitable use of. The sooner the Maoris are taught and made to feel the responsibilities of holding waste country as dogs in the manager the better it will be for the colony. In all other respects the proposal will be very acceptable to counties in the position of Waipawa, Wairoa, and Cook, as it would add very considerably to their revenues. The other proposal for the formation of a " Road Construction Board," consisting of the Minister of Public Works and three member* to be appointed by Parliament, to which all works must be submitted that may happen to be too large for a local body to undertake, appears to be objectionable in many respects. Major Atkin.on illustrated the proposal as follows :—•

(Ist.) There are the mains through Crown lands not yet settled ; (2) the main roads running through the settled or partially settled districts ; and (3) district roads both in settled and unsettled districts. In respect of the first named roads-the Government propose that after the Crown land has been surveyed and the roads marked an estimate of the cost of formine and metalling the main roads through the block shall be prepared by the local body having charge of the district, that to the fixed upset price per acre of land to be served by the ro&d shall be added a sum, according to situation, sufficient to cover the cost of construction, and that the money so obtained shall be set apart and paid over to the local body under proper safeguards to be used for that purpose only, and we further propose that when half the land in any block is sold the Government shall advance the money to complete the main road through, the block, recouping itself from time to time as the rest of the land is sold.

We now come to the roads of the second class—those unconstructed main roads runnine through settled or partially settled districts. We will suppose a local body desirous to construct a piece of main road or build a bridge, which we will say is to cost £1000. It will prepare estimates showing the cos>t of the proposed work, and submit them to the Board, and ascertain if there is money available. If there is money available, tbe local body will, after taking an affirmative vote of the ratepayers, strike such a special rate over that part of the district benefited by the proposed work, including Government and native lands, if any, as will in ten years repay without interest one-quarter of the amount obtained from the Roads Construction Board. In the case supposed, of the work costing £1000, the local body would have to strike a special rate which would produce £25 a year or £250 in ten years, or if the local body had £250 in hanjt which it could apply to the proposed work or chose to first raise the money by a general rate, it could then obtain from the Roads Construction Board £750, the balance of the £1000 estimated to complete the work. In other words, for the purpose of main road construction, for every £1 which the district finds £3 is added from the land fund. In case more money should he applied for than the Board has at its command, grants pro rata would be made, but all applications in cases where a main road or bridge has been destroyed or washed away by a flood would take precedence.

We have now only to consider the third class of roads —that is, district roads. To enable Road Boards to make these district roads we propose to ask tbe House to make a free grant of £100,000 to the Roads Construction Board, and to permit it to borrow another £ 100,000 at five per cent, from the trust funds making a fund of £200,000 available for this purpose. We propose that this fund should be self-supporting, and that it should be dealt with in this way. Suppose a Road Board wishes to borrow £100 for a small bridge or other work, it would submit an estimate of the proposed work to tbe Roads Construction Board. On ascertaining that there was money, available, and after taking an affirmative vote of the ratepayers, the Road Board will strike a special rate, which would produce £9 a year for thirteen and a half years. The produce of this rate would be paid over to the Board half-yearly, and by the expiration of the period I have named the whole of the amount borrowed, with half interest at 3 per cent, per annura> would be paid.

These are all the proposals the Ministry have to make with regard to local government, and we venture to think that they will not be acceptable to the country, as their effect would be to compel all local bodies to look for assistance from a central board, m other words to the Minister of the day. The proposals beg the question of local government altogether, and while holding a tempting bait to impecunious County Councils, draw a red herring across the scent lest the people should discover that they are being bound in fetters to centralism. Since the above wis written we learn that it is the intention of the Government to introduce two bills dealing with local government, and assuming this to be granted and the bills read a first time, the second reading will be fixed for the following day. It will be in moving the second reading of one of these bills that Major Atkinson will disclose the entire policy of the Government touching local government as promised last week. We (Post) understand that he will review the whole subject very fully, analysing the present system, its merits and defects, and indicating what reforms Ministers deem desirable. This of necessity will bring to an issue tbe entire question of Local Government Reform, about which so much has been heard lately, and a protracted debate on the subject may be expected.