COUNTY COUNCIL.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1234, 12 July 1872, Page 3

COUNTY COUNCIL.

THE CHAIRMAN'S OPENING ADDRESS. The following is the address delivered by Mr H. H. Lahman, as Chairman of the Connty Council, at the opening of its session on Wednesday : — gentlemen of the county council of Westland— I have called you together in accordance with the provisions of the County of Westland Act, and in order to lay before Sou a statement of our financial posion, which, together with other necessary business, I trust will receive at your hands that consideration which will secure prosperity to the County, and conduce to the maintenance of the political independence to which its inhabitants are justly entitled. As will be seen from the statement of Assets and Liabilities laid on the table, the debts of the County on the 30th June, 1872, amounted to L1 8, 871 17s lid, against L 10,300 of assets, leaving a deficit of L 8571. The respective items of L6OOO and L 3773 9s are due to the Bank of New Zealand, the first on Deficiency Bills, and the latter caused by the action of the General Government as an overdraft. For this I promised a Deficiency Bill to the bank, to the extent of L2OOO, and the balance, LI 773 9s, will be recouped to the bank from the revenue of this month. The item L 7600 is due to the General Government for an advance made against our share of the accumulated Sinking Fund of the Canterbury Loans. This a<^t when realised will, I have no doubt, leave a considerable balanco in favor of the County. t The item of L 1598 8s lid comprises liabilities remaining unpaid either by reason of the votes being expended, or of the accounts being rendered too late. The amount due to the General Government as the balance of the Consolidated Jnnd referred- to by me is now paid, in Consequence of the action taken by the General Government in impounding a portion of the gold duty. It will thuß be seen that the liabilities of the County, are of such a nature as to cause no immediate embarrassment. . The receipts for the last financial halfyear show a deficit upon the amount estimated of L1786 13s 3d, but as compared with those of the previous six months an increase of L6Bl 4a lOd has taken place. The difference between the estimated receipts and the revenue collected is as follows :— There is a deficiency in gold duty Amounting to L 1167 Is 6d ; on miners' rights, L 352 5s 9d ; on spirit licenses, L 687 4s ; land revenue, Lll 16s 4d ; and on fees and fines in Warden's Oovrtas, L 66 13s 6d ; altogether amounting to L 2286 Os Id, against which an increase is shown in incidental receipts, amounting to L 55 7s 8d ; on tolls, punts, &c., L 275 8s ; and on mining surveys, L166 18s 6d, altogether amounting to L 499 6s lOd. There can hardly be any doubt but that the decrease on the gold duty, miners' rights, and spirit licenses is caused by the exodus of miners and business people from our goldfields, who attracted by the successful, opening up of a reefing district in a neighboring province, have left the County in large numbers. On the other hand it augurs well for the future of the County, that the revenue derived from the sale of Crown Lands so steadily increases, and this fact evidences that as the completion of the Main Trunk Line of Road, as well as other main roads, draw near, we may fairly hope that the bona ./We settlement of the district will not be interrupted/ The land sold during the

last six months amounts to 3728 a2r 20p* realising the t>um of L 3121 6s. Land leased for the same period is 14,700 acres at a rental of L145 16s Bd. It is a matter of deep regret for me to mention that the General Government thought proper to impound a ' large portion of our revenue at a time when we could ill afford its loss. I must still more depl6re the way in which this wai done. Without giving' the least intimation of their intention to the County Government, they simply ordered the Collector of Customs to impound the sum of L3OOO out of the gold duty* On being informed by Mr Fatten of this, I lost no time in trying to induce the General Government to at lea3t postpone this measure, but the sum of L 2665 10s lid has in this way been diverted. I have laid the correspondence upon this matter on the table, for your further information upon the subject. I may be permitted to mention that through this action of the General Government I was obliged to negotiate with the bank for an overdraft, and was also prevented from carrying out the resolutions of the Council as to building a new Hospital, purchasing the bridge over the Arahura River, and accepting the offer from the Hon. the Resident Minister for the Middle Island, of L4OO for the purpose. The expenditure being in accordance with the votes of the Council needs no comment. On the whole the financial position of the County, although. it does not afford us matter for congratulation, is so far satisfactory that it is in the power of the Council to extricate us from all embarrassment, as our engagements are of such a character that by judicious management and economy we need fear no complications ; at the same time we shall have to contine ourselves only to the most necessary expenditure. I am glad to state that the promise made to me when in Wellington, that a member of the Ministry should visit Westland during the recess, has been fulfilled, and I can congratulate the Council on the visits of the Hon. the Premier, and also ; of the Resident Minister for the Middle Island. Both these gentlemen spent, a considerable time in ■ making themselves acquainted with the wants and requirements of the County, and having received proofs of their willingness to further the interests of the County, we may look forward to the meeting of the General Assembly with well founded hopes of seeing our wants attended to and the interests of the County better cared for than; hitherto. It will also be satisfactory to you to learn that the Hon. the Resident Minister for the Middle Island, on learning that the Council had undertaken extensive public works, and authorised the payment of L3OOO to the County from the loan fund under section 28 of "The Payment to Provinces Act/ 1871." This sum was at once placed to the credit of a separate account, and has been appropriated in part. payment of the Arnold road, the contractor for the work having been paid L1494 12s of this amount. Tenders huve been accepted, and in some instances the works completed for the m&kkig of roads, tracks, and wire bridges, in accordance, with the resolution of this Council. The Arnold road is nearly completed, and when open will confer great benefit upon that district. The Kokotahi road is also in course of construction, and when completed will prove a great boon to settlers in that locality. Both these roads are being made on deferred payments, aad although no payments will become dv« during the en* suing six months, still it is the duty of the Council to devise means for meeting these liabilities when they mature. The building of the new lunatic asylum is pro- . grossing most favorably, and before the expiration of the present month we will be enabled to remove the female lunatics to the new asylum. I have no hesitation in saying that the new building when finished will not alone afford ample accommodation for the lunatics, but it will also prove a credit to the County, aud I am convinced will materially lessen the cost of maintaining the patients. As evidencing the importance of public works undertaken by this Council during the last twelve months, I may mention that independently qf work for cash payment, and which amounts to more than L 20,00 workunder contract for payment in land, and part inland amounts to above L4OOO, or 4000 acres of land. The committee appointed by this Council to take into consideration the question of compensation to tramways has, during the recess, held meetings, the result of which, embodied in a report, will be laid on the table in a few days. The new regulations concerning .the management of hospitals in the County have proved beneficial already, and will doubtless consider- , ably reduce the cost of the maintenance of these, institutions. The appointment of a Government storekeeper has also re- ] suited most beneficially in supervising and I controlling the expenditure of the various i supplies required by the several departments, and 1 can observe a considerable saving in this direction since the creation of the office. , I shall ask your co-operation in obtaining from the General Government redress for the great injustice done to the County by saddling us with a debt, arising out of. constructing public works which only benefited this County to a very small extent, and' moreover charged to the County on account of a revenue of which the measures of the General Assembly deprived us altogether for the last two years. Furthermore, it cannot be difficult for us to prove that the maintenance of the Christchurch road, the samo being a Colonial work, should be borne, not by the County Government alone, but by the General Government, the Province of Canterbury, and the County of Westland conjointly. Lastly, the salaries of the Wardens, they being at the same time Resident Magistrates, and the General Government receiving all the revenue from the Resident Magistrates' Courts, should partly be borne by the General Government, as also the General Government should pay the saleries of the bailiffs employed in the several Resident Magistrates' Courts. la conclusion, gentlemen, , I beg leave to draw your, most serious attention to the present state of public affairs in the Guunty. It must be patent to cvevyone that ;/reat changes in the ad; ji«s sir ■ li- n are not alone ueaired by a majority of the inbabitttutj, bat that these changes are necessary The state of our finances would compel ns to obtaiu a better and more reliable understanding with the General Government. That the spirit of the County of Westland Act has never been carried out in its entirety, cannot

be de -'a t ) iii » this is d tie to eireu lusuauces over \.ix\\ia uiie County Government hal no control.; and therefore I ih'ml; it behove i the members of .this Cooacil to take the initiative, anil prepare for ihe coasidoratiou of the Colonial Goverame.'.;, and the Geucral Assembly, me mij;gesiioua in ihat re&pcc;!:, as wi'l noi alone satisfy tbe people, biri, secure «o the We '>i,lrtud Districts a -.wore petficfc form of Government than the present divided means of administration afford. It will be for this Council to prove, that beyond doubt, one Government for the whole of the West Coast Gold Fields will alone satisfy the population, and so it will become our duty to endeavor to frame for the consideration of the Legislature of the Colony, such, form of administration as shall be best adapted to the requirements of the inhabitant?. Trusting, Gentlemen, that our deliberations in thia the last session of the present Council, will be carried on in a cordial spirit, and will tend greatly to promote the interests of the people on the West Coast, I hereby declare the Council open for the despatch of business. H. H. Lahman, Chairman.

■*-