THE Grey River Argus. SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 1870.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 686, 11 June 1870, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 1870.

During the week the proceedings of the County Council of Westland have been of the most desultory and unsatisfactory nature. Indeed, from some cause or other, they have been distinguished by a marked display of irritability on the part of the Chairman and members, which has on more than one occasion produced an exchange of personalities anything but creditable to those who indulged in them, and who so far forgot the dignity due both to themselves and to the constituencies who sent them to the Council Chamber. It is pitiable indeed that time after time the sittings of the Council should have to be adjourned because the majority of the members ".walked out of. the House in disgust ; " and when such a_ scene is repoxte^U-bumjnrearnie~crnty of The various constituencies to enquire the reason why disgrace is thus thrown upon the whole County by those who should be most jealous of its reputation, and how long they are going to permit such a state of things to exist. So far as we have been able to ascertain the reason, from the authorised published reports of the proceedings, the primary cause of these "scenes" appears to be the Chairman, who, as the term of his office draws to a close, seems to stand more and more upon his imaginary dignity, and ruffles up upon the slightest occasion whenever any of his actions are questioned. The tone he has adopted of late would lead anyone to believe that Mr Hoos looks upon his position as that of an autocrat ; that the members of the Council are per- , nutted to meet together under his favor ; but that it is the rankest heresy for any one of them to dare to question his actions. Under what hallucination the Chairman is at present laboring the members who meet him nightly are un- I able to determine, so ' that we, at this distance, need only hint at it, and state the broad yet melancholy fact — that the little business the County Council has to do is being unnecessarily delayed by the absurd ebulitions of temper on the part of^ the Chairman, and the personalities and recriminations — we had almost called it Billingsgate—indulged in by some of the members. There appear to be honourable exceptions amongst the members ; still, we ask, what can be expected from a Council constituted as the present ? The Inspector of Schools has left for Wellington, to attend to his duties in the General Assembly, and he has taken with him an incomplete draft of an Education Bill, which it is yet very doubtful either the Council or the people will recommend for adoption. Mr Barff has bean appointed by the Chairman as Warden's Clerk and Sub- Warden at the Kaineri, and yet he has the temerity to continue to occupy his seat in the Council, and take part in its debates, even in matters in which he is personally interested. It is very broadly stated, and not without a good show of reason, that Mr Barff received this situation in order to make room in the Assembly for Conrad Hoos, Esq. • but that little game will spoil itself, for the Chairman has not the slightest chance of being returned against Mr Carrera3, who is universally and deservedly respected by the body whom he represents — the mining community — in whose hands the election for Westland South will lie. Another member is known to be an ardent supporter of the Chairman, in consequence of his having been so very tenderly dealt with over certain monetary transactions. With a Council composed of such materials, what can the people expect, but the existence of a state of things highly unsatisfactory, in in many re3pocts discreditable, and calculated to brin^ reproach, and cause tho lip to curl in scorn when the name of the Government of the County of Westland is mentioned. We honestly regret that this should be so, for although the people of this district had no part in the creation of the

County form of Govei-nment under which we have been forced to live for the last two years, yet we admit we expected better things from it. That it has failed in the end for which it was established is perhaps not so much the fault of the system, if properly elaborated, as of the men who were entrusted by the people with its administration ; combined with tho fact that the cost of the system and its attendant burden of debt, was too great a burden for the limited revenues of a small County to bear. When the revenue of the County was over £100,000 per annum, a considerable amouat of laxness was winked at, and there was very little grumbling, but when the revenue fell away to £60,000 a-year, what was before looked upon with indifference came to be regarded as a positive burden. If the Chairman had exercised any discretion he would have tided over the term of his office easily ; because with an ordinary amount of energy he could have obtained ere this tiara Wes4foad'« share of the Staking Funds/long duo, amounting to £10,000, which could hay© been applied to meet current liabilities ; he could have recovered the amount of the late County Treasurer's bond, and he could have relieved the County from many unjust charges which are now debited against it in the General Government accounts. But nothing whatever has been done in these directions, and Mr Hoos appears to be perfectly satisfied to drift along with the current, until his term of office expires, if he is allowed to assert his " dignity " upon every available occasion. It is no wonder that the people of this district should fee.l dissatisfied with the present form of Government, when it is considered that out of their revenue they are charged with over 64 per cent, for General Government charges, interest, sinking funds, &c, and in addition 26 per cent, as their share of the general charges of the County, leaving £10 out of every £100 contributed to the revenue available for public works, and even that fraction we have been sytematically deprived of in order that main roads should be made in the Hokitika district. Any people burdened as we ai % e with debts, charges, incompetent and selfish administrators, would naturally make an effort to free themselves ; and it is therefore to be sincerely desired that the movement which is now on foot for the annexation of the Grey District to the Province | of Nelson will have a successful issue.