THE Grey River Argus. THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 1869.

Grey River Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 554, 5 August 1869, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 1869.

The Chairman and members of the County Council have retreated in a very ignominious manner from the position they took up respecting Mr Rees's mission to Wellington, to induce the Assembly to grant the Oouncil rating powers over the County. As we have already mentioned, whenever this resolution became known, public opinion was so plainly declared against it, ' not only in Greymouth but throughout the County, as to induce the County Chairman to take upon himself the responsibility of telegraphing to Mr Rees at Wellington to do nothing until he received further instructions from the Council. The Chairman brought the matter before the Council on Monday, stated what he had done, .and asked advice. A number of opinions were expressed, but no resolution was arrived at, so that the further instructions will not be sent to Mr Rees, and he is likely to remain coolfng his heels in Wellington for some time to come, the victim of his own foolish attempt to thrust an objectionable piece of legislation down the throats of the people. When we last noticed this matter, we took .occasion to comment strongly upon the course our only representative in the Council this session, Mr Lahman, had seen fit to adopt. . For information as to the proceedings in the County Council we are compelled to rely upon the reports of the proceedings given by our Hokitika contemporaries, and upon these our remarks were founded. When Mr Rees first brought forward his motion, Mi- Lahman seconded it pro forma, but after explanations had been given he expressed himself satisfied, and simply seconded the motion. We have since received from Mr Lahman an answer to owr strictures upon his conduct, in assisting to thrust additional taxation upon his constituents without consulting them, and we are glad to give the explanation as prominently as we gave the accusation. He requests to be set right with his constituents, and says : — "When Mr Rees's motion was moved in the Council, I seconded the same only pro forma, and strongly opposed that the borrowing power of the County should be placed beyond doubt, with the conditions of levying rates at the same time, stating that the inhabitants of the County were already too heavily taxed, and that I feared should any more taxes be imposed upon them, that a good number would leave the County altogether. It was only when I received the assurance of Mr Rees, as well as Mr Button, that even were borrowing powers granted to us, together with the right to levy rates, we could enjoy the first without resorting to the other, I seconded the motion, being fully convinced that the Council would never need to levy taxes in order to pay interest of a loan from £25,000 to £50,000. Furthermore, I beg to inform you that, as soon as Mr Vogel's message became known here, im. mediate steps were taken to inform Mr Rees not to press the matter of levying rates, but to try to obtain borrowing power, without any more conditions attached to it." We have every desire to do Mr Lahman the most ample justice, not only on this, but on all other questions coming before the Council, because during the present session he has to fight the battle of this town single-handed, and hitherto he has done his duty manfully, and with great satisfaction to his conr stituents. Why we cousidered it necessary to question his vote on this most important subject, was that we believed he had been hoodwinked by the protestations and assurances of other members of the Council. According to them the County was, first, to endeavor to define its borrowing powers; and, second, to endeavor to obtain the power of levying rat©3. The one was not to be contingent upon the other, as it appeared from the resolutions passed by the Council, but were to be distinct. We only regret that Mr Lahman was so easily convinced that in the present state of the County finances, the Council could hold the right to levy rates without exercising it. As we have previously said, we have no objection to the Council obtaining au overdraft or loanon the usual terms, but we do protest against another corporate body being empowered to levy taxes over the County ; and we hope that Mr Rees will confine himself, while in Wellington, strictly to an endeavor to assist the Westland representatives in defining the borrowing powers of the County. It is not likely that, under the present Government, any special favor will bo shown to Westland, wilich. the now Colonial Treasurer has

lately stigmatised as a "miserable failure." In his. financial statement he stated that the Government proposed to authorise the Provincial Governments to have overr dyafts to the extent of one- fifth of their revenue, and Westland would be allowed ! *^tßfef^4 n this arrangement, but only if its accounts, were placed under a, more efficient system of audit than obtained there at present, This, so far as the present Government is concerned, defines onr borrowing powers ; and the best thing Mr Rees could do would be to come home again to attend to his duties in the County Council, and leave the Westland representatives to attend to theirs in the Asr sembly,