THE The Drey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1080, 13 January 1872, Page 2

THE The Drey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 1872.

It was only lately that we directed public attention to the fact that there was very little probability of the Paroa Road Board District benefiting in the General Government's vote for subsidies to Road Boards, owing to the difference of opinion which exists between that Board and the County Chairman. The essential feature of that vote is that it shall be divided pro rata to the amount of rates collected, or voluntary contributions in each district. Towards the close of last year the Paroa Road Board struck a rate, but the County Chairman refused his sanction to it under the power given him in the 93rd section of the County of Westland Act, which says that " no rate shall be made unless the Board shall first have received the written sanction of the Chairman of the Council to such rate." Mr Lahman's objection was founded upon the 85th section of the same Act, which directly states what is rateable property, and includes "land which shall be occupied for any purpose whatever, whether under license or lease or otherwise, under any Gola. Fields Act or Acts, or Regulations made under them." He further, at the same time, referred the Board to the 87th section of the Act, which provides " that general rates shall be made and levied equally upon all rateable property within the Jb&nad District." To simplify the matter, the Road Board struck a rate only on business property, and Mr Lahman, in accordance with the intention of the Act, refused his consent to the rate until all mining property was included. This the Buard, as recently constituted, refused to do, for many reasons, tlie principal of which was the difficulty and expense of levying and collecting a rate upon claims. Within the last month, however, three new members have been elected to the Board, and the question has again been considered. This time it has taken the shape of a question of expediency, because the members see plainly that unless they give in to the dictates of Mr Lahman, the district they represent will be deprived of tho benefits arising from the expenditure of its share of the General Government vote for Road Boards. Tho members of the Board are almost without exception practical miners, and naturally they object to levying a tax upon mining property, but apparently from their speeches, made at a late sitting of the Board, they do not consider it their duty to injure the district in its most vital part-^rthat is the construction of new roads, tracks and bridges — for the pleasure of asserting a principle or displaying their obstinacy. We know well that this is a ; very dis_agreeable and unpopular subject with the majority of the miners, but if it is calmly looked at, we believe they will give their consent to it. It is a pure case of necessity, because Mr Lahman is stubborn, and has shown this by also insisting upon rating mining property at Ross. As it appears that unless the Board gives way the district will be deprived of any parr ticipation in the benefits arising {torn the General Government's grant to Road Boards, tho members would not be doing their duty to their constituents to hold out any longer. In order to give the fullest information on the subject, we direst public attention to the 12th section of the Payment to Provinces Act passed last session, which says :— "The amount to be allotted to each Province shall be divided amongst the several Road Boards therein in proportion to tho amount respectively raised by such Road Boards by local rates, subject to the provisions hereinafter contained. Provided that in outlying districts in which it may be difficult or inconvenient to constitute Road Boards, voluntary contributions shall be deemed to be equivalent to money raised from rates. Section 14 also says : — "Self-rating or voluntary contributions shall be an essential condition to any contribution from this fund, and no money shall be paid thereout until highway or road rates have been it-vioJ ifti natd, or voluntary contributions

raised, provided 1 that the conditions prescribed in the foregoing section may, during the year ending the thirteenth January, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, be waived by the Governor, on its being proved to his satisfaction that special circumstances rendered such a course advisable in any particular case or cases." To show how minutely the Government have entered into the details of their j scheme, and how impossible it is to escape from the conditions imposed, we publish the following circular, which has been received from the Colonial Secretary's Office:— " I have the honor, by direction of Mr Gisborne, to call your attention to the mode which the grant to Road Boards for tho present year will be made available for the service of the several Road Boards in the County of Westland. The County Chairman will inform you of the amount allotted to your Board, but that sum will not be paid over to you, but will remain in the Road Boards account until withdrawn by cheque of the County Treasurer, which cheques are to bo issued only for payment for work performed, or for tools or materials purchased. The whole of, the grant is to be expended "exclusively on the formation of new roads, bridges, and culverts, and in the maintenance thereof for one year after completion, and in the completion of such works commenced last year as are not yet finished. When such a work, or any portion thereof, has been completed, a voucher is to be prepared and forwarded to the Couuty Treasurer accompanied by such certificates as may satisfy the Chairman that the work has been satisfactorily performed. When tho voucher has been approved and the amount placed in warrant, the County Treasurer will return you the voucher, with a cheque signed by him and by the County Auditor. This cheque you will theu have to sign and pay to the claimant, obtaining his receipt for the amount. The receipt will be your voucher, but the County Treasurer will probably require some acknowledgment from yon that you have received the amount of his cheque on account of your proportion of the Road Board grant. — I am, &c. G. S. Cooper, Under, Secre--tary." The question as to how claims are to be rated is a very complex one, and one which will give rise to much annoyance and trouble ; but it is clear that the County of Westland Act says that lands held for mining purpose shall be rated. On this subject the Boss Neios says :— "It will be for the Road Board to consider how to deal with this new obstacle. If they ch0036 to rate mining properties, they must direct the mode of assessment by a bye-law, and although it is very unsound policy to rate claims, and impossible to devise any means of fairly assessing their value, it may be better for the present to comply with the County Chairman's views, and impose some nominal rate, and in future, by combined action of all the Boards, to obtain an alteration of the law. The power of veto over the acts of one representative body should never have been placed in the hands of the elected head of another representative body — more especially where, as in the present instance, the one body acts inimically to the other."