THE Grey River Argus. TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1869.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 621, 11 January 1870, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1869.

The members of the Borough Council of Greymouth have just cause to feel aggrieved at the treatment they have received at the hands of the County Chairman with regard to the non-payment of the balance still due on the vote of £1500 passed last session by the County Council. The mere fact that the finances of the County do not a,t present leave it possible for the balance to be paid forthwith would not of itself be any just oause of complaint against Mr Hoos, however great might be the inconvenience which theßorough Council might suffer in consequence. It is the false position into which the Borough Council has been cajoled, by the delusive promises of the Chairman, which constitutes the gravamen of the charge against Mr Hoos. The facts of the case are simple. Last session the County Council voted the sum of £1500 to the Borough Council of Greymou.th for the express purpose of completing the protective works on the river bank, which were then and still are in jeopardy until they are finished. It was the very urgency of the case that induced the County Council to grant the money, andasiuiilarsenseof urgency ought to have influenced its prompt payment. But week after week elapsed an d the m oney being not forthcoming, strong representations were made to Mr Hoos of the necessity of the I protective w.orks being completed, and for some time the Corporation only received evasive replies and no money. At length, a sm.all aum on account was forwarded, to 1 meet a bill due to. the Road Board ; but theßorough Council, not wishing to repeat 1 its former mistake of rushing into engage nients without some definite prospect of fulfilling them, wrote agr.in to the Chairi man, asking if, and when, they could ; depend upon the balance of the vote being ; paid,, stating at tho same time, that they did not des^ro to. en,ter into contracts for ; tho work until they coujd learn the probabilities of receiving the money. T*o this application Iho Ch.virman replied in terms which, though general, were sufficiently

explicit to convey tho understanding that tho balance of the vote would be paid before the end of the financial year. Mr Hoos did not even think it necessary to give any word of caution to the OorporaL tion on the ground that there was some : possible uncertainty as to the payment af the money, and tho whole tenor of his > letter was that the Corporation might safely make arrangements for the completion of the protective works. The Borough I Council placed this, interpretation upon it ; and proceeded to enter into contracts, ; which are now \n course of operation, and I upon which payments have become due. s But when further application is made to 1 the County Qhajrman with regard to the ', balance of the vote, the Corporation is s coolly informed tl\at •' the vote has, ' lapsed,*' but that the amount will again ' be "placed on the IJsti;nates, n What on earth does Mr Hoos mean by the vote ■ having "lapsed"? He appears to imagine that because a sum of money, although 1 duly authorised to be paid by the 1 County Council, doe 3 not happen to be paid within a particular time, ceases to be a liability, and must be re voted at another meeting of the Council. He cvi-; dently fanpie3 that the progedure which regulates the issue of money, from the Colonial or a. Provincial troasury obtains in Westland, and that the votes of the Council, like on Appropriation Act, have only force and authority for a certain period. Mr Hoos is entirely wrong ; a vote of the Council always remains in full force until it be rescinded, and there is no possible necessity for obtaining another vote to cover the issue of the unpaid balance still due to the Borough Council of Greymouth. That amount remains a positive liability, which must be paid as much as any contract otherwise entered into. If this were not the case there would be no end to political jobbery and trickery. Votes of hon. members could be insured upon the strength of such and such items being placed on the estimates and passed, while the Chairman would exercise his own discretion as to whether any particular vote should be shelved by being allowed to " lapse." Besides, thera would be no public confidence in the votes of the Council if they could be set aside in this manner. We have no desire to impute improper motives to Mr Hoos in this matter. " We have no doubt that he is in the fix of not being able to pay the money due to the Corporation, but we do think that he has acted very unfairly to this town. Many payments have been made that might, without any injustice, or even much inconvenience, have been left to stand, whilst the very safety of the town of Greymouth has been endangered by the non-payment of the few hundred pounds promised. Fortunately the usual flood season has as yet passed harmlessly by, but this is a . blessing which could not have been foreseen, and for aught Mr Hoos could have anticipated, judging from past experience, his remissness wight have been the cause of untold disaster and loss. Our local Hospital is in a precisely similar positioa to the Borough Council with regard to the non-payment of two or three months' subsidies, and we trust that our local members will, in their place in the Council, see ths»t no longer delay shall occur in the payment of the money due, and that they will insist upon the amount being considered as an unpaid liability, and not a "lapsed" vote, as the County Chairman very improperly styles it.