THE Grey River Argus. TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 1869.

Grey River Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 563, 26 August 1869, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 1869.

The financial position of Westland, about which so many guesses have been hazarded lately and so many misstatements made, has at length been clearly and explicitly laid before the public by Mr. Lahman, the Coiitity Treasurer pro. tern. We now know the worst of the matter, and although by some it may be regarded as bad enough for so young a County, yet, when considered in all its bearings, it will be found not nearly so bad as was expected, and a great deal healthier than there was any cause to anticipate. It is simply this — that the County commences the present financial half-year £10,000 in debt, which includes the Bank overdraft and payments now due to contractors for works done up to the 30th of June last. But for two circumstances the debt would have been reduced by nearly one-half. The first was, that at the close of the financial half-year in December last .the late County Treasurer represented that there was surplus revenue to the credit of the County amounting to £2000, and that sum was then equally distributed between the Road Boards and Municipalities, whereas the truth was that there was no surplus at all ; and the second was that during the same half-year Westland was overpaid by the General Government £1246 on account of gold revenue, which amount was during the last half-year deducted from the proportion of the Consolidated Fund paid over to the County. Another contingent circumstance is the defalcations of the late Treasurer, but they are not taken into the account, as it is expected that they will be made good in some way or other. Even with all these drawbacks, the position would not have been nearly so bad, had not the revenue fallen off so alarmingly at the port of Hokitika. In framing the Estimates for the present half-year, the County Treasurer has taken care to base them upon the actual receipts for the past half-year. This is a safe basis to go upon, especially at the present time, when the revenue of the port of Greymouth is so rapidly increasing. By adopting this course, the expenditure* for the period will be kept within the ordinary revenue, and leave a balance of ! £4000 to go towards the reduction of the debt. In order to bring about this state of things it has been found necessary to remodel the Estimates, as mentioned in our last, by striking out every proposed new work, and otherwise reducing the expenditure wherever it appeared possible to do so. So says the Treasurer ; but we notice that while no new public works are to be undertaken, nearly all the Government Departments are to be kept up almost at their pi*esent strength ; but we have the promise of the Treasurer that during the six months further reductions will be made in the number of officials employed. This depends much upon the success or failure of Mr. Harrison's motion in the Assembly to obtain a loan of £50,000 for Westland. If successful, all the new roads and other promised public works will be carried out, and, therefore, it would not be judicious to dispense with the services of members of organised departments until the result is known. We have sufficientcon. fidence in the Chairman to believe that every reduction will be made consistent with the proper carrying on of the Government of the County. A few of the principal reductions which have been made between the Estimates proposed a fortnight ago and those laid before the Council on Monday night are as follows : — The interest and sinking fund on loans has been reduced from £8280 to £6618, although it is not easy to see how an item of this nature can be manipulated at will. Interest on overdraft, £500, and waste land, and other charges, £300 have been struck out. A grand onslaught has throughput been made on that most convenient item "contingencies," the printing and advertising, travelling expenses of officers, and "incidental expenses." In the Harbor Department it is proposed to reduce the

salary of the Hokitika Harbor Master from £500 to £400 a-year ; to slightly increase the salary of the Greymouth Harbor Master ; to dispense with that unnecessary and expensive item of a boat's crew and coxswain at Hokitika, and to substitute in lieu thereof £50 allowance for boat hire, when necessary, which should be quite sufficient to moet all the requirements of that port. The " special expenses at Okarito and other ports, £lso," formerly' allowed to Captain Turnbull are fated to disappear. With regard to the public buildings, the following items are struck out altogether -.—Strong-room for County Chairman's Office and Treasury, £400 ; additions to Post Office, Greymouth, £100 ; ditto, Custom-house, Greymouth, £150 ; ditto, Court-house, Greymouth, £450 ; Wardens-court and police quarters, Goldsborough, £450, and contingencies, £500. The item "additions to Lunatic Asylum" has been reduced from £600 to £250. The following roads, which are surveyed, and ready to be proceeded with, have also been struck out : — Greymouth to Pounomu, £4500 ; Hokitika to Arahura, r £6500; Kanieri to Longford, £1800. All the proposed new roads have met the same fate, namely, Greymouth to Coal Pits, £1500 ; Hohonu-race to Lake Brunner, £750; Arahur* road to Kanieri, £550 ; Arthur's Town to Totara, £3000 ; Arahura road to Stafford, £1800. The item of £1000, originally set down for the maintenance of the dam and protective works in the Hokitika river, has been reduced to £700 ; but we see no corresponding sum mentioned for the maintenance or completion of the protective works on the Grey River. Why this difference should be made between the two ports of the County we are at a loss to conceive. The money is far more urgently required here than at Hokitika, where the Municipal Corporation lias several thousands to the credit of its banking account. We recommend this subject to theattention of the County Chairman and Treasurer, and trust to see an effort made to deal justly with Greymouth. The item of £500 for keeping the river bars navigable has disappeared ; as well as the £1000 for rewards for gold discoveries. A number other items have been reduced considerably, but we cannot notice them in detail. It is satisfactory that this explanation has been made — that all cause of uneasiness as to the amount of Westland's indebtedness, and her ability to meet her engagements, have disappeared. The temporary embarrassment was brought about by tho stoppage of the overdraft, not ' ' by great financial difficulties brought © l by reckless expenditure," as has been stated frequently of late. It has been proved that the ordinary revenue of the County is amply sufficient to meet the ordinary expenditure required for carrying on the machinery of Government ; roads, tracks, bridges, and other public works must be carried out by a loan. This is the natural course of things — the rule which has obtained in most young settlements. The several Provinces of New Zealand have in their time borrowed and expended enormous sums on roadmaking, so that the country might be as speedily as possible opened up and settled, leaving future comers, who will equally benefit hy these public works, to bear a proportionate burden of the cost of their first construction. And there is no reason why this rule should be departed from in the case of the County of Westland. We therefore hope that Mr Harrison may be successful with his motion ; or that, in the event of the General Government being unable to grant the loan, a limited amount of power may be granted to the County Council to borrow elsewhere.