COUNTY COUNCIL.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1238, 18 July 1872, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCIL.

■.■' • ' Monday, JulyJIS. £; .f -';; : A [CONDENSED FRpM^THB WEsVpoAST^XIMES..]^ : Present— Tlie ' Chairman ; and r: Messfs* Barff, Ralfe, Dungan, Fox, Robinson, arid the Hon. J. A. Bonar. Mr Bonar presented a petition from the:Mayor^ndC6^^^ of Hokitika, praying for an endowment of land. The petition was read and received. ■ J THE CHAIRMAN'S ADDRESS. Mr • Robinson desired^ before proceeding with the motion on the order, paper, to point out the necessity of departing ,from what had been the usual course in regard to the Chairman's address. Hitherto it had not been the. custom to frame an address in reply, but there were matters in the address delivered by the Chairman at the opening of the present session of so unsatisfactory a character as to demand an expression of opinion from the Council in respect to them. Mr Barff agreed that there were matters in the address delivered by the Chairman of an unsatisfactory and objectionable character, varying- also from information before the Council. He had, however, refrained, from . noticing them, as it had been agreed upon in fdrmer sessions that there should be no reply to the address, '.arid he expected that the address would be followed by resolutions which would open up discussion on the matters referred to.

'„ Mr BpNAßsaid that it had been agreed that there should be no" reply to the address of the Chairman, bo as not to make the Council too much of a legislative body. It would be better,, he believed, to deal with the matters considered objectionable or unsatisfactory' by resolution, particu-, larly as the memberg i of the Council were not possessed of the information! to which the Chairman had access in framing his address. , Mr Hoos held <he opinion that if therewas an address from the Chairman .there should be a reply. The address of the Chairman obtained publicity and was disseminated throughout, the Colony aßan authoritative statement, and there was ' need therefore that if it contained matter ' to which the members, of the Council objected, their objection should be recorded in a reply. There were many things in the address delivered by the Chairman at 'the opening of the Council, which irequired modification, arid- he (Mr Hoos) quite agreed with the'meiriber for Kanieri that a reply should be drawn up. > r The C^AißMAN.|hpught it was. rather late in the day to make an alteration .in the last session of! the Council, an the course that had been hitherto pursued! If the member for Hokitika (Mr Hobs) thought there should have. been replies to the addresses delivered from the : chiiir, why did he not initiate that course ? [Mr Hoos : . I invited replies.] He (the.Chairman) intended to follow up the address by resolutions, arid in respect to mattera objected to there was nothing to prevent members 'from tabling resolutions which would open discussionsr ' r - . ; Tuesday, 16i! i\ " j i THE MARSDEN. AND CIIFION. TRACK. Mr Dungan asked "What steps the County Chairman intends taking to have, a toll-collector placed upon the Maraden and Clifton track, former appointment being lately ruled an illegal one in the ResidentMagistrate'sCourt,Greymoutn?" The Chairman said that he had already communicated with the Paroa Road Board on the subject, and as soon as he received a reply he wbuld take steps to remedy the difficulty. . ' \ THE PBTITION OF THE BOROUGH COUNCIL ' : : X)F HOKITIKA. H ' ! '.■ Mr Bonar moved — "That the petition of the Borough Council tof Hokitika ! jbe referred to a committee, to consist |of Messrs Hoos, 1 Robirisbri, Ralfe, and mover, to report in a. week." „;,,:! ; Mr Hoos seconded the motion. i The Chairman said that while he would not throw any obstacle in the way of t*he appointment of a Select ..Cornmitteei !he wished to be understood that he objected to the proposition to endow the Corporation of Hokitika with land for general . purposes. He wbuldj however, give his hearty concurrence to such an endowment for a specific purpose, such as the conservation of the navigation of tfoe port jor river protection works ; but he was opr posed to the endowment beingapplied; to the! making or maintenance of streets in the municipality. : | The motion passed without dissent, i : ROAD TO REEFTON. Mr Barff moved— "That a Select Committee, consisting of Messrs Button, Bonar, Dungan, and the mover, be appointed to prepare a memorial for presentation to the Resident Minister, recommending that immediate steps be taken 1 to provide more suitable and direct means, of communication between Hokitika arid Reefton," " ; ; ..... „ }■ The motion was seconded by ]>tr Bonar, and passed without dissent, : WIRE FOOT-BRIDGES. v? ; Mr Hoos moved— "That the Chairman of the County Council be requested io obtain from the" County Engineer the number of wire foot-bridges requisite for rivers and Btreams on the Cbristchurch road, which are, np to the present, unprovided with any safe means of crossing, so as to enable "foot-passengers' to travel without danger of; life; -Return to be furnished within fourteen days." The motion was seconded by Mr Barff, and passed without dissent. THE CHAIRMAN'S ADDRESS. Mr Robinson moved— "That a Committee, consisting of Messrs Boos, Button, Fox, and the mover, be appointed for the purpose of drawing up a reply to the Chairman's address. ■' ■'■ Mr Hoos seconded the motion. The CHAjRMATf said that the course proposed to be pursued being so unusual he had expected; that the member for Kanieri would have given some' reasons for it, arid at the very least would have pointed out the matters in the address to which he objected ;•:• He (the Chairman) could not but consider that the time for initiating such, a new course as . that proposed was ill-ch'psen, and he was convinced that the fratners of the County of Westland- Act contemplated doing away (with such cumberous proceedings. The County was only a Corporation, and should not ape the proceedings of legislatures. He had yet to learn in what I^address was wanting, 'but had h&]s»^lvn that it was contemplated to r>ke'a reply ;o it, the address would httve been dif. fereut. (Mr Robinson ; \Hear, hear.x 1

Not in facts,ibe*cau6e they"' were plain enough, but iirtnehmanner of eipressing them. It shoiildjbe the bbjeicVf of the members of the OJunoil to simplify pro? ceedings, and ho^tp Encumber them with , forms ; and he was convinced that the" more they were simplified the more they would be in accordance with what the people, desirfed should ..done- =•-.■,* vTM, <duf se "p^ropiised'apoimrod^^to a" playing'at parliament^ and; it was ill-fitting at the closing' session to 1 make what would be considered, a dyingspeech..,,.. , „. . - Mr Barff considered that as the swan was said to die; singing, it would not be without precedent for the Council to make a dying Bpeechi. He had' said on the previous evening that he thought the objectionable matters in the Chairman's address might be discussed on resolutions introduced, but he had since seen reason* to alter his Opinion: He found on a careful perusal of the address that there; were expressions of opinion in it which were not only opposed to' the opinions entertained by members of the Council, but by the' people of the County in general. 1 He .should support they motion of- the member 'for Kanieri. " " % : • , • . Mr Hoos would, also support the motion, if only for the simple reason that when an address was delivered there should be a reply. ; .That course had been pursued when Mr John Hall opened the Council. On that occasion an elaborate address was delivered, arid there was an equally .elaborate reply. As to the necessity for a change in tne form of government at present existing in the County, dwelt upon in the address, he (Mr. Hoos) certainly could npt see it.. ' If. the County, of Westland Act wfere. properly wofked, the^ ?aine. systerii wouid;. answer all piurj poses, even if the County were extended I to.: twice- J its ; 'present, size. What was ■ needed was a simple form of government, and the more simple it was rendered) the more acceptable at cwould be. A change to Provincialism^ with a Superintendent, would entail tfie necessity of an Executive, with ministerial crises, dead-locks, and other such undesirable adjuncts of' of that form of government. : ; Mr Bonae could not help saying that he was disappointed that the member for Kanieri had not given.any reason for the change in the course which; had, been: hitherto pursued. : With fespect.to the instance which had been mentioned -of a reply having been made to the address de- ' livered by Mr j oliri Hall, that was an exceptional case, .the., occasion being, the inauguratiori of a new fprrii" of Government. If, the, motion were carried it would necessarily involve along discussion which waa : not desirable, and waste time, ; which could be better devoted to practical ' business.; . ■■■ ■..■: , ; , v ;.■.■;.-.• : ; I Mr Dun-gan, Mr Fox, and Mr RiXFB also spoke in opposition to the motion. Mr Robinson replied at some length, \ pointing out the objectipnable mattera in • the address, and predicting that " they were disposed ,pf as he proposed, they would inevitably hang over and be l .continually recurring throughout the ses- ■ Bion.. . -„.. , K -:;,.;.-r:'! ;.-J:'- '.. '■'■■.'- :j. ■■ ■ \, 1 The Council then divided on the motion. —Ayes, 4; Noes, 4. The following is the division-list :—^ i : • r J'"- : Ay.es :: Messrs . Robinson, -Fox, ■- Barff, Hoos. Noes :.;. Messrs ' Bonar, Dungari, i Ralfe, Lahiman. . . . \ ; s . The ' Chairman gave • his ■ casting, vote l with the Noes, and the motion was there- ; fore negatived; -H= v j !