THK Grey River Argus. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1869.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 616, 28 December 1869, Page 2

THK Grey River Argus. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1869.

The County of Westland Act has undergone so much amendment during the three years since the formation of the County that it is not unlikely the General Assembly will ho unwilling to entertain any further proposals for additional alterations unless very good cause indeed can be shown, and their necessity proved to be clearly imperative. If popular opinion within the County itself is to be taken as affording an idea of the desirability of affecting certain alterations in the Act as it now stands, it would appear to be necessary that application should be again made to the General Assembly at its next session for fresh legislation regarding our local constitution, But popular opinion is not always the safest guide, and before we aocept the dicta of one or two hustings speakers and newspaper writers as binding upon the whole people of Westland, it would be as well to examine the subject for a few moments. The questions which seem to have, most called forth the expressions of opinion to which we have alluded— and which are undoubtedly of the greatest importance— .are, first the duties and prerogatives of the County Chairman ; and second, the mode of electing that officer. It is to these two subjects that we intend to confine our present discussion. We need not remind our readers of the provisions of the existing Act relating to these matters, and we shall confine ourselves to pointing out wherein we consider the present system needs amendment, and to endeavoring to show in what manner it can to our minds be most satisfactorily improved. In the first place, the Chairman of the County Council-^its Mayor one may say •rrbeing at the same time the delegate of the Governor and holding very large powers outside and independent of the Council altogether, is perhaps the worst and most dangerous part of the present system. It is not as if as in other Provinces — Canterbury or Southland to wit — the field for the exercise of extra official powers were confined to the administration of the Diseased Cattle Aqt, or- some other such laws, and the management of a few score acres of gold diggings. In Westland the most important functions of Government, and those requiring the greatest amount of thought and administrative ability in their discharge are confined to the management of the gold fields. In point of fact the whole County is nothing more than a vast gold field, and is not likely to be anything more for years to come, It seems rather absurd then that under such circumstances the large and important powers of the Crown should, as a matter of course, be delegated to any person who may happen for the time to be chosen by the County Council to preside over its deliberations and carry out its decisions. And it must be borne in mind that the Chairman is only elected for two years, and that it is — for some tme to come at any rate — improbable that any one person will hold the seat for a longer period. Thus we have two serious objections — first, the possibility of the elected Chairman being unfit to administer the government of the gold fields ; and second, that however able he may be, aad however advantageously he may exercise his delegated functions, the County may lose his services, because the Council happen to elect some one else as Chairman who may be utterly unfit for his post. It is true that tire Act does not provide that the Chairman of the Council and the Governor's Delegate should necessarily be one and the same person. But it implies that the Chairman should stand in the same position as a Superintendent of a province, and should, except for very special reasons, be honored with the Governor's confidence. But a Superintendent is elected for just double the period of office allotted to the Chairman of the County Council, and has the guidance and assistance of an Executive Board responsible to the Council. The Chairman of the County of Westland is virtually irresponsible. He may ask for the advice or consent of the Council, but ho need not follow ifca recommendatiotia Another objection to our- present system is that the duties of the Chairmanship are, with those of th,e Governor's Delegate, so numerous, and necessitate so much close attention as to shut tho office against many desirable candidates, and leave it more i» the light of a prbe of emolument 1 held out to a class of politicians whom it is not most desirable to plaoe in power. We would propose that the Chairman of the Council and the officer administering the gold fields, should be distinct persons, and that the latter should be entirely independent of local political influence, and responsible only to the Ministry of the day— that he should in fact be no more than a secretary taking his instructions from the head of the department at Wellington. The Chairman, on the other hand!, would continue to preside over the meetings of tho Council, and bo its Executive oilli;ocr in regard 'o, si\ch matters as.

the Council would havq to deal with. Such duties would not entail a great sacrifice of time, and a smaller salary than is at present paid would be sufficient, Supposing some such arrangement were adopted by the Council it would not be necessary to amend the Act, nor would any change in the mode of appointing the Chairman be desired. All that would re» quire to be done would be for the Council to pass aresolutionrequestingthe Governor to withdraw the delegated powers, and not to confer them upon any future Chairman. If this, be not done, then the Act must be amended again, and wo should advocate that the Chairman of the County be nominated by the Governor, and the Council elect nothing -.nore than a President over its proceedings..