DEPUTATION.

Evening Star, Issue 4298, 5 December 1876, Page 2

DEPUTATION.

This forenoon Messrs Reynolds, Wales, Rutherford, Anderson, and Law again waited on the Commissioner of Customs for the purpose of ascertaining if anything had been done in reference to giving increased representation to the riding of Eoslyu, for the reasons urged by them. In reply, Mr M'Lean said he had sent up to Wellington to see whether anything could be done before moving any further in the or whether it was not too late. He believed, however, that the dates for the elections had been fixed. Besides, he had received notice that another deputation was coming to him to urge their view of the matter, and in justice to all sides he ought to hear what they had to say before taking any further action. He was yesterday informed by a gentleman resident in the Maungatua and Ontram districts that they considered they had just as little representation as they could have, and they would be dissatisfied if it were attempted to be altered. One most important consideration was that the intention of the Legislature was to give the country districts ! .2 to Ll and Ll to LI to municipalities and populous towns. So long as the populous suburbs of Dunedin remained part of the country they would receive the L2 to Ll, and holding that the county districts, having really to keep up the main roads, were entitled to the extra subsidy, he could not see that the Eoslyn riding had so much to complain of. Still, if there was time he was anxious to do what he could reasonably do.

Mr Beog said if it could be shown that the assessment roll of Maungatua and Outram amounted to anything like the roll of the Roslyn district, or within two-thirds of it, they would be right in having a representative, but to have two representatives they ought to show a good deal larger assessment than Roslyn. Mr M'Lkan repeated that it was never intended by the Legislature to give the subsidy of L2 to Ll to the populated towns and suburbs of towns, and he held that the money received from the subsidy should go in some way to making the main interior roads. Mr Begg inquired if there was any guarantee that, when the subsidies ceased, there would be a redistribution of the representation. Mr M‘Lean ; Yesterday you said, in answer to a remark I made, that we must take things as they are. I give you the same answer now. Mr Anderson did not consider the deputation were asking for anything that was unfair. Considering the importance of the districts they represented, they really thought they had good grounds for asking for increased represeutatiou. Mr M‘Lean remarked that had Caversham been put in one riding and Eoslyn in another, it would not have looked an injustice, but the difficulty would have been the same, as Caversham and Roslyn would have swamped the country districts they would have been connected with, because they would have swamped the elections. Therefore, in justice to those country districts, it was considered that these townships should be taken together. Mr Begg said there would be no injustice in that case, because Caversbam would then have one representative and Roslyn one, which was virtually what they wanted. Waikari had a representative to itself. He thought Waikari’s rates were LSOO, which would give LIO,OOO of valuation against 1/10,000 in Roslyn. Mr M'Lcan : It is useless discussing the matter natal X get a reply whether or not it

is too late to move in the matter. I have had a proposition from a gentleman, who says "dense 59 of the Counties Act provides that the County Council whdl consist of nit less than s : x her more than nine memliers, exclusive of the nhairman, An additional member to Hoslyn riding would meet the difficulty as regards the Taieri.” There is a slip in the Act there. The words ‘ ‘ exclusive of the chairman ” were not struck out, as they should have'been, when the Legislative Council did away with the rate* payers electing the County Chairman. Still that would never justify us in making ten members.

Mr Law said it seemed to him that the suburbs would be shut up to the necessity of forming themselves into municipalities, in which case they would only get LI to LI, and the General Government would save a lot of money (Mr Rothebpord ; Hear). He hoped the deputation from Maungatua would bear in mind that the country districts would get no more additional revenue. Mr Reynolds said it should not be forced upon the suburbs to become municipalities. It would be a most unjust thing, and he should fight against it until the very last. Mr Bego : We have had a little experience of that in Roslyn. Mr Reynolds ; If the object of tbe Government is to drive us into municipalities, 1 should feel disposed to turn round and fight. Mr M'Lean : You are fighting with a shadow you have yourself created, and which you imagine will do you a terrible injury. It is not the intention of the Government to drive you into municipalities, or to meddle with yon. I hold that you will be perfectly well served by the County, and that you have no right to tbe same subsidy as the country districts, Mr Reynolds : But tbe law provides we should get it. Mr M'Lean replied that all that had been taken into consideration, and that the Government had done the best they could. Mr Reynolds asked how it was possible for Roslyn to get justice when there were eight members, each of whom would look out for his own district ? Roslyn would pay one-third of tbe County rates, and get an eighth of the expenditure. Mr M'Lean ; You dc not pay anything like one-third. Mr Beoo could speak for the Mornington valuation being about LI1,000; and he was almost certain tbe rest of the County’s rates did not come to L 4,000. Mr Reynolds said if the district did not get justice, there would be great dissatisfaction about paying rates to beexpended elsewhere. Mr Law : They won’t pay them. Mr Rutherford : They must, or their chests of drawers will be sold. . Mr Law : It is all very well to say they must; but if people are dissatisfied, it is a very difficult thing to get them to pay. Mr Law complained of the electors of Roslyn having to go to Mosgiel to record their votes, which practically made the riding unrepresented. Mr M'Lean wanted to know where Mr Law got that information from. If he raised such imaginary things that nobody ever dreamed of he (Mr M'Lean) conldnot answer them. There was a returning officer for the riding, whose duty it was to appoint polling places to suit the interests of the districts. The Government had quite enough on their shoulders without interfering with such matters. The County Council conld fix their meeting place, and nobody conld interfere with them. Mr Beoo would do the Government the credit of saying that they had to the utmost consulted the convenience of the people of his district in the matter of polling booths, i' Mr M'Lean promised to let the deputation know the reply he got from Wellington.