COUNTY COUNCIL.

Grey River Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 569, 9 September 1869, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCIL.

(fkom oub own cohrbbpondent.) Hokitika, Tuesday. ' Yesterday morning the three absent members, Messrs Barft, Harrison, and Rees arrived from Wellington, and during the day it was rumoured that a diversion was likely to be created in the Council in the evening by one or other of the gentlemen referred to. At the time of meeting that part of the large Hall set apart for the public was crowded with eager listeners, and all the members of the Council were present. After some formal business had been disposed of, Mr Hoos moved the House into Committee of Supply for the further consideration of the Estimates, and remarked that there were only two or three items remaining to be voted, and he was desirous to bring the long session to a close, Mr Harrison at once moved by way of amendment that the Council do adjourn for three weeks, and in a speech of considerable length showed the necessity of the Council putting its affairs into proper order before going on with any further business. He drew the attention of the Council to the fact that the County of Westland Act had been amended in some very important particulars during the late session, and that the Amended A.ct was now the law. One clause of that Act made it imperative that before any sums of money could be voted, at least seven days' clear notice must have been given by the Chairman to each Councillor of the day of meeting and of the sums proposed to be expended and the purposes for which they were to -be voted. He was of opinion that on 'no other grounds but the fact of this new regulation, the Council could not go on legally to vote expenditure. Although the estimates had been in the hands of some hon. members for more, than the specified seven days, there were others — for instance, Mr Barff and himself — who had not seen them. But he asked for the adjournment for, to his mind, very much stronger reasons. It was imperatively the duty of the Council to endeavor to retrieve the lost character of the County in the cj T es of the Colony. The recent unfortunate irregularities of theiv servants, coupled with their financial difficulties and other circumstances, had made the County almosta bye-word and a reproach throughout New Zealand. No doubt it was unfair to attribute the laches of its paid servants to the fault of the Council, but at the same time the impression was created that there had not been that proper supervision which ought to be exercised. Then again the hasty and ill-considered manner in which the Council last session hurried into obligations without any clear or defiuite means of discharging them had created an unfavorable impression. He could reflect with great satisfaction -to the course he and the small minority took with regard to that matter, and he believed that he might also congratulate his friend Mr Rees, in having seen the error of his ways on that subject. The very difficulties and complications which he (Mr Harrison) had predicted had occurred, and now it was their duty to strive and get out of the mess in the best way they could. He must say that the hasty sensational telegrams of the Chairman to 'the Premier had not conduced to the advantage of the County. Mr Harrison then went on to criticise the said telegrams in a manner evidently not to the satisfaction of Mr Hoos, and proceeded to comment upon the very unsatisfactory state of the accounts of the Cointy. He denied the assertion that the Cquncil^was already in possession of all necessary information regarding the accounts. The statements laid upon the table were calculated to deceive, and he was himself aware that the Auditor could not make up his report on account of the large mass of unsatisfactory items about which he could obtain no explanation. He was aware that there had been a large excess of unauthorised expenditure, and that the'disbursements, under the head of contingencies, were open to grave criticis.ni. He refrained from expressing any opinion as to the merits of the Auditor's queries, it was sufficient that the Auditor could not produce his report, and until that was done he should object to going on with any further business. He implored the Council to consent to the adjournment, which would give time for the whole of the accounts to be arranged and published. The Council was really on its trial before the Colony. A great deal of unmerited obloquy had been heaped upon Weatland, any little difficulty or fault was eagerly seized upon by those who were opposed to the County system, and attributed to the fault of the Constitution under which the Council enjoyed such large powers, and it was the duty of the Council by every effort to counteract this, and to prove that they were capable of managing their own affairs. Mr Harrison then explained the bearing of. recent legislation affecting the County, and the course he took with regard to Mr Rees' mission- to Wellington. He stated that w,hen he saw by the papers that the Council had proposed to obtain fating powers for purpose? of public works, and that Mr Rees was coming to Wellington to advocate that course, he (Mr Harrison) at once

made up his mind against the advisability of such a measure, in which opinion he was afterwards confirmed by his colleague Mr Barff, and by the wishes of the various Road Boards and Municipalities. On Mr Rees' arrival he at once communicated to that gentleman his 1 objections. After repeated consultations an arrangement was arrived at to endea^ vor to obtain a loan of £50,000 for special reproductive works on the Gold Fields, chargeable upon the Gold Fields Revenue, and to be administered by non-political trustees. He placed a notice of resolution i to this effect on the -order paper^and, as I Otago had obtained the consent of the House to a special. loan, he entertained the hope that Westland would also succeed. But as it was necessary that, if Mr Rees was to be heard as counsel, the. motion for giving consent to his application should come on first, and as it hajn pened that the Government so arranged the order paper so as to put the cart be* fore the horse, a good deal oi time was, frittered away, and forced delay. At last, his resolution came to be called on, on the. last evening of the session, when Mr Eb^ in spite of repeated assurances from the Government that full opportunity should be given for the discussion oftheresahH tion, moved that the motion be discharged, which was carried. He could only say in regard to Mr Rees' endeavors in behalf of the County, that thai gentlemen could not have been more assiduous than he was in session and out of session in pleading the claims of Westland, ° Mr Button seconded the amendment pro forma, and sometime afterwards cor-, dially supported it, and made nse of comments not very flattering to. the CountyChairman. Mr Rees supported tfce spirit of the motion, but would rather it Jia4 been a shorter period of adjournment. Mr Lahman, in a rather excited manner,! opposed the adjournment, and denied. that any further accounts were needed by the Council to enable it to go on with the appropriations. Both he and Messrs/ Reeves, Clarke, and Carreras, objected to the sessoi being prolonged to suit the convenience of those members who ought to have been in their places in the Council instead of at Wellington. Mr Carreras, who, by-the-bye, was rather hit by MrHarrison speaking of him as a political neophyte, expressed the opinion that it was unconstitutional for a person to hold seats in both the local and General Legist latures, and furthermore considered that Mi- Harrison had been a very bad member for Westland, and had done nothing to endeavor to extricate it from its financial embarrassments, with which remark. he sat down, and after all supported 'the amendment. Mr Rees made a good speech in support of the amendment, and. showed the many manifold reasons why the Council should now put itself right with the public and the Colony. He gave along explanation of his proceedings at Wellington, and strongly censured the. Council for having hurried to fill .up |h.^ important offices vacant without affording one-third of the Council, who were a£ sent, an opportunity of having a voice in the matter, although he had, in conjunct tion with his colleagues, sent a telegram to Mr Button, asking him to induce the Council to wait for the return of the members from Wellington. That telegram had, he believed, been communicated to the Council, but no notice whatever was taken of it. He defended the two members of Council who were in the Assembly, and pointed out the valuable and important benefits which they had been the means of obtaining for the County— take, for instance, that clause in the Sinking Funds Act, which had the effect of placing about H2,000 into the pockets of the County ; there was also that provision in the County of Westland Amendment Act enabling ihe Council, to borrow to the extent of one-fifth of its annual revenue. Mr Barff also supported the adjournment, and urged the Council to thorouglily clear up its financial affairs. Mr Clarke got into a muddle about Mr Harrison's police motion in the Assembly, and accused that gentleman of having said that the County Council was not fit to manage its own affairs— a statement which Mr Harrison denied having made. Mr Hoos opposed the adjournment, but gave no valid reasons for his objection. The question was carried on a division by 5 to 4— Ayes: Button, Carreras, Harrison, Rees, Barff. Noes : Hoos, Lahman, Clarke, and Reeves. Mr Harrison then gave notice of his intention to move next sitting-day two resolutions— " That the Council do go into committee to consider the question. That the contracts made in an unauthorised manner by the County Chairman be confirmed.? The other is to the effect" that the Council do request the Government to take control of the police force under the provisions of the 11th and 12th clauses of the County of Westland Act Amendment Act, 1869. The Council then adjourned, but it was afterwards arranged that the adjournment, instead of being for three weeks, should be until Monday week.