The Dunstan Times. FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 1870.

Dunstan Times, Issue 436, 26 August 1870, Page 2

The Dunstan Times.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 1870.

Beneath the Rule of Men entirely just the pen is mightier than thes word

The new Road Board Ordinance, which comes into force twenty days after the cessation of the present sitting of the I General Assembly, places it in the power of country districts to practically govern themselves, and to a very considerable extent makes them independent of Provincial Government rule. The Capitation Tax of 21. per head on the population, paid over to the Provincial Government by the General Government, is the computed sum received from customs and other duties, and refunded to the Provincial authorities as their share of the general revenue. This sum the General Government purpose handing over to properly constituted local bodies, such as District Road Boards, for expenditure, giving as it were the opportunity to the taxpayer of disposing of his own money. This is a boon which we have long sought to obtain. A fair share of the revenue derived from the country districts, especially the goldfields, has never been expended upon them! We have been taxed not for ourselves but to bolster up and beautify Dunedin, the favored people of which were not allowed to soil their boots with mud, and the least rut in the well-macada-mised roads was scrupulously filled up and levelled, while up-country districts were left almost without roads, so that during inclement seasons provisions, by reason of high rates of carriage, reached almost famine prices. This last winter has most unmistakably shown the inability of the Provincial Government to deal with roads in the country districts. The delays of the mails have been unprecedented in goldfields history. Trade has been almost paralysed in consequence, while the extent of private injury is something alarming. Main lines of road will still be maintained under the management of the -Provincial Government, and it may therefore be urged that in thismattdr Road Boards will be powerless. Such will not really be the case. The Boards will have their eye to the highways as well as to the byeways, and it will be their business to see that the Provin cial authorities perform their allotted portion of keeping the roads in repair. Should they neglect or refuse to do so, the voice of the local board will be sufficiently strong to make themselves heard in the proper quarter. The Ordinance provides that the Boards

shall he Constituted as follows Each district may be divided into divisions, but the combined district must return six members in the first instance. After the first meeting of the Board, districts may be still further divided, and each subdivision return its own representative. To commence. The Superintendent of the province must be moved by petition, and the signatures verified, a rather difficult but .still a wise precaution, considering how readily people sign petitions without knowing their import. Onethird of the members are to retire annually. The qualification for voters is full age and the occupation of rateable property. Tip t0'505 entitles the holder to one vote ; 1005, two votes; 1505, three votes ; 2005, four votes ; from 2505 to 5005, five votes ; over the latter, six votes. The manner of election and powers of the Board are similar with municipalities. The 25 Capitation Tax, coupled with a rate which may be levied upon property, up to Is. in the £, and a special rate, if necessary, of a similar amount, will place considerable sums at the disposal of the Boards, but we should hope that a special rate will be found in most cases unnecessary. The tax payers will include all those not resident within a municipality,it doubtless having been.presumed by the framers of the Ordinance that residents within the magic circle of an Incorporated town are sufficiently taxed already. The miners are liable to be taxed, the land and houses occupied by them being, of cours“, rateable. They will, however, especially those resident in outlying districts, be considerably benefited by the formation of roads, and save in the lessened cost, of rations or material for working their claims far more than they will be required to pay the Board in the shape of faxes. The Board will also receive tolls of all kinds, as well as the fees and fines for breaches of the Ordinance. The pastoral tenants can be taxed to the extent ot one-third of '■the annual value of their holdings. This, of course, is only just and reasonable,considering that they possess such a large proportion of the country which cannot be turned to such profit able account as would be the ease with a farm. Our position will be thus : the larger the population and the more land we have occupied, the more roads will be made and the bettor they will be kept in repair This in itself should be a great incentive for us to clamor for the opening up of the lands. The Dunstan district possesses every element for becoming a Hoad Board District, and as the area of the latter must not be less than fifteen miles, Clyde will make a most convenient centre, and we should hope that in so important a matter, no silly local jealousies will arise to interfere with that which must so largely benefit all parties. The Capitation Tax, divided pro rota among the provinces, leaves about 120,0005 as the annual proportion for Otago. Our population would entitle us to some thing like 5,0005, a much larger sura than is expended yearly upon roads in this district. Supposing that by taxing ourselves we make the amount 5,5005, and we could do this without any excessive impost, the roads in the district not being main lines could be maintained in excellent repair, and a number of really valuable and necessary improvements made. As the Ordinance so soon conies into opera don, if the Dunstan is to be constituted a Road Board District no time should be lost in petitioning his Honor the Superintendent for that purpose.