The Dunstan Times. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1875.

Dunstan Times, Issue 705, 22 October 1875, Page 2

The Dunstan Times.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1875.

lienca'h the rule of men entirely just the PEN is mightier than the sword.

As we promised in our Task week’s issue we publish the Abolition Bill as passed by the House of Representatives. Onr readers will perceive that the Act comes into operation immediately upon the assent of His Excellency the Governor being obtained thereto, but practically the Act will not come into operation until the day following the last day of the next Session of the Parliament of New Zealand. The portion of the Act coming into operation at once is merely to protect the Colony against any sha r p practices on the part of Provincial Governments who might cal! their Councils together, and enter into contracts, vote away large suras of rnonev, or dispose of extensive blocks of land. I he, effects of which woukl be ae piously to embarrass the Colonial Go vernment. Sections 2"), 26, and 27 of the Act which takes effect at once, provide that it shall not be lawful for Provincial Councils to meet in session before the day next following the last d tv of the next session of Parliament when of course the ' bolitioa Bill will have taken effect. The wings ot Provincial Governments being thus clipped theyare rendered corrpaiativcly harmless, and the public estate saved from being plundered by any suddden or erratic movement which mi 'ht mark the declining days oi these expir’ng bodies The Provinces after Paving been abolished will be termed Provincial districts bearing the same, designations, while as far as possible the laws in force in the same will remain unaltered. Real and personal property vested in Superintendents will be vested in the Crown, and all endowments for educational purposes will be vested in a Board of Education for each Provincial district, or in the case of there being move than one such Board in a Provincial district, then in such Board or Boards as the Governor shall appoint. The duties performed by Superintendents, Provincial Secretaries, and Treasurers, in cases where it is necessary such duties are required, and this will be so in all the Provincial districts will be fulfilled by pex'sons nominated by the Governor—the present occupants of' these offices will in all probability be selected. Where the services of Provincial tiffi. cers are dispensed with, they will be entitled to compensation at the rate of one month’s salary for each year of service. In the matter of revenue , the country districts will be liberally endowed—will receive an endowment equal to two pounds to one upon the rateable value of properties taxed to the extent of one shilling in the pound of their value to rent, or one penny in the pound of their value to sell. One pound is to be paid out of the Land Fund, and one pound out of the Consolidated Revenue. Shires where established will take the place of Road Boards, and will be included as such. Municipal Corporations will be entitled to receive License fees as heretofore ; also an endowment from the Consolidated Fund of one pound for every one pound o° consolidate! rates received within the Municipality, but no such payment shall exceed one shilling in the pound upon the annual value to let or one penny in the pound upon fhe value to sell. . Fines for scab in sheep will he payable to Municipal bodies and Road Boards proportionately in respect to the jurisdiction of which the sheep may be depastured, and all fines ami penalties for breaches of live laws of any Road Board or Municipal Council shall be paid to such Road Board or Municipal Council, whose laws have been infringed. In cases where the land revenue of any Provincial district is insufficient to meet the charges thereupon, it is lawful for the Colonial Treasurer to borrow monyv to make good any deficiency, such loan to 1 e charged to the Provincial district requiring the money. I.nans for this pnrpf.se will come under (ho Treasury Bills Regulation Act, 1866, hut the amount borrowed in any one year is not to exceed one hundred thousand pounds. In respect to the gold-fields they will be entitled to nil revenner collected under the' Gold Duties Art, 1870 and 1872. which includes the revenue' derived from all lands of the Crown occupied for mining purpose-, after payment of all costa of administration and management, the balances will be availa-

We foe local improvements. The goldfields being divided in Shires will bo Very,liberally endowed as we understand that they'will bp subsidised in ■espect to t.lieii'goldfitilds’ revenues to iho extent of pound for pound upon such revenues from fho general revenue of the Colony, Municipal bodies are particularly fortunate, and in many instances it .wjl[_ appear they are too liberally provided for, the money being better expended upon mating roads into the interior of the country than upon streets ,and other improvements in,townships. However to make a country habitable, the towns where people congregate must be made comfortable to live in, while as the people tax themselves for this purpose it is nothing more than fair that their efforts should be subsidised by the Government, especial y as the towns are yet hut young, and there is much to bn accomplished. In Victoria and New South Wales, Municipalities are subsidised, those bodies in die latter Colony receive pound for pound upon their rates to start with, which sum is reduced one shilling per pound per annum, it being computed that at the end of twenty years they dshonld be self supporting. Of course it will‘bo bant to' say in out' case how long such liberality on the part of the Government will last, still, a very great deal will depend upon ourselves, and the persons we may elect to represent us in the General Parliament. Cooking at the Consolidated state of the revenue of the Colony there should be sufficient to meet the various outlays promised, Th» Colonial revenue for the year ending 30th June, 1875 amounted to L!, 005.002, add to this the Provincial revenues ; land, 1,702,475; confiscated lands, 1,33,712 ; gold, L 83.543 j railways, L 31,023; makes a total of 1,2,525,752. The expenditure for the same period, including Provincial allowances was 1,1,730,429. which would leave a balance of L 795.323 for purposes of local Governments and im provements. Pur the country districts (ho change will be a most beneficial one—local governing bodies will bring Government nearer home, and our relations with the Colonial Legislature will be direct, instead of having Provincial Governments as a go-be-tween, and the revenues disposed of after the fashion of sailors prize money, by being sifted through a ladder, that which lodges on the steps coming to the crew, what passes through going to the officers, only we must in this case substitute for the crew, the up country districts, and Dunedin fur the officers. The Government of the Colony by means of the Abolition Bill will be in the hands of the people themselves, and they have only ' themselves to look to to make the country of their choice piosperous and happy.