THE NEW COUNTIES BILL.

Evening Star, Issue 4237, 25 September 1876, Page 2

THE NEW COUNTIES BILL.

r™«LTl?ww guisb - in ? feature of tho New County Bill is that permissive Councils may deter, mine at tue first meeting that the clauses embody, ing the machinery of the County Government shall ?w?£ m r. V* to ? or . ce i t >° f° neral Provisions are that the Colony is to be divided into Counties, and the Counties into Bidings; that the Counties may be divided or united, and the boundaries re-arran«red by tite Governor at the reauest of the ratepayers and with the consent of Parliament. Boad districts may be merged into Counties. Boronghsareexcluded The electors are to be the ratepayer! and the holders of miners* rights. Lists of the latter are to be kept by the receivers of revenue. The Chair, men of Councils are to be elected by the county electors, with oidy one vote for each elector. The number of councillors U to be not less than six. no? more than nine. The annual meeting takes placed the third Wednesday in NovemberTand the Council is to hold a meeting on or before the 31st Mawh of each year, lo divide the money grants atnonVtho diatncts The funds for the first election provided by the Government. Any elector may be a coun. ?n llo ti,. Ea i e8 n y be levied not exoeedinV Is m the «, but separate rates for special works are authorised on the petition of one. tnim of the ratepayers, and voters may raise loons, and issue debentures not exceeding tnree times the annual incomo. Special loans can bo obtained with the consent of the ratepayers upon notice given, and a poll taken. Counties may unite to raise part* of a special loan. Sinking Fund is to be provided. Coußcil may make bye-laws for the the good government of the County, but these are eubjeot to disallowance by the Governor. Charitable Instituting, Public Libraries, etc. are placed under their control j also Becreatiou Beservea, and the Councils may make bye-laws for the regulation of markets, slaughterhouses, hawkery

«to.,andfafea»th«*ft*. iJlpaMiowaAMW under the oontrol of tbeOonatyCoaiwuVa&dtheix revenue an defined as arising (torn rate*, toll-fees, fines, rents., and grants from the Government. ■At a meeting of tke Canterbury member* it was resolred to divide the Province into three counties —namely, Waiau to Walmakiriri, Waimakiriri to Eangitata, and Bangitata 'o Waitangi. Mr 801. leston proposed one county for the whole Province, but Mr Stafford and Mr Wakefia d stood out for South Canterbury, and had a large majority. The Government have accepted the pivposals of the meeting. The Otago caucus resolved that the Province should be constituted one county with a council or board of works consisting of seventeen members; the Board or Council to have fall control of the land and railway revenue of the county, power to be given for any portion of the county to constitute itself a separate county on the petition of two-thirds of the ratepayers. A committee, corsisting of Messrs J. C Brown, Beynolds, Bastings, Laraach, and Beid was appointed to lay the resolution before the Government. The committee subsequently saw the Premier, and presented the resolution to him. Hon. Major Atkinson promised to submit it to hie colleagues. The Westla&d members have had a meeting, at which Mr Tribe's proposal to make two counties south of Teremakfca, was negatived, and it was agreed to have three counties to the north, vie., Grey, Inangahua, and Boiler.