THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1873.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1396, 21 January 1873, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1873.

It is satisfactory to find that the newly elected Council display every desire to lift the County out of the slough of cUspozul and. c*i in4«l>t«<3n«oo, in -rrhtoK unfortunately it is at present plunged. The Chairman evidently realises the situation, and appears to be anxious to improve it as far as in him lies, and as far as the Council possesses the power of extrication. To say thatthe administration of the affairs of Westland has been extravagantly costly, but mildly expresses tha fact, for probably in no. part of the Colony has more reckless waste been indulged in, nor has money been more uselessly squandered. A staff of Civil servants to transact the business of a kingdom almost has been maintained, and the principle of one doing nothing and his neighbor helping him has been abundantly manifested since the boon of local self-government was granted. It is not a figure of speech to say that all the business of the County can be carried i on at half the cost that has been expended of late, and it is for Councillors to see that the pruning knife to which Mr Robinson referred on taking office is applied ruthlessly and unsparingly. Even if some of the departments, by such a course are somewhat crippled for a time, it will be but a lesser evil to be endured for a season in order to gain a great good. At the same time, in effecting reductions, a great deal of judgment will have. to be exercised, and the whole subject is one that will tax the shrewdest members to deal with properly. The proposal that the Chairman made for the appointment of a Departmental Committee was the wisest possible course to pursue, and it is well that the Council agreed to adopt it. As he stated in bringing forward the motion, the duties pertaining to the Committee will be both onerous and and unpleasant, for the report will necessarily recommend, not only large reductions in existing salaries, but that the services of many officers be altogether dispensed with. It is no light matter to take the bread as it were out of the mouths of many, but necessity knows no law, and it will be the painful duty of the committee to wring the hearts of some in the discharge of the task they have undertaken. It must be manifest, how•ver, either that the County government must be altogether abandoned, or that it must be carried on within its' means, that, as the phrase has it, Westland must cut its coat according to its cloth. If matters had proceeded as they have done during the last two or three years, the position would have gone from bad to worse, and from worse to worst, even if that climax has not been already reached. By the appointment of the committee, the whole Civil Service can be carefully | analysed, and the changes thought ne- , cessary can be brought . about without wounding the feehnga of such officers as mut«t be reduced or dispensed with by dis. lining details respecting them in open Council. Under the most fa»orable conditions, it is very evident that some years mast elipse before the County can expect j to be free from debt, and nothing but a moat vigorous effort will bring it round. If. must be remembered that Weailand at the present time owes some with, | comparatively speaking, no assets to meet suoh a crushing liability. For long timo put the income has only just sufficed to

pay salaries, and public works, excepting of the most trivial .character, unless paid j for in land, have riot b^eeri even attempted. \ It is true that, thatiks to our share of; the loan expended 'under the : Public ; W,6rks and Immig*aitura Act, several main roads have been projected or completed, but the County has not been able to undertake anything on its own account. It will be apparent that such a State of things cannot continue., and on the Departmental Committee a great deal will depend. As a commencement, we would suggest that they should begin operations at home, and, in the first place, largely cut down the remuneration heretofore received both by the Chairman and councillors. Fortunately the present chief is not a needy man, and we believe, from what we have heard of him, that he will be the first to propose a curtailment of the salary paid up to the present time. Again, the honorarium received by members is certainly too much at such a crisis. It is ridiculous to suppose that the services rendered to a bankrupt County for about a month twice a year are worth JIOO, yet that is the amount, at ,£SO per session, that members at present draw. Even presuming that councillors are cheap at that money, they must expect to suffer like others and share in the sacrifices that others will have to make. If they set an example of self-denial, it will in some measure reconcile other Bufferers to the same hard lot, and it is to be hoped, when-dealing with the question, they will tar 'themselves with the like brush that they apply to the Civil Service generally. The General Government servants in Westland are excessive in number, and in many cases paid out of all proportion to the duties they are called on to discharge, but the Council will, of course, have to consult the Executive as to their removal or reduction. There is, , however, little doubt, if it can be shown that a smaller staff will suffice, that the Government will listen to any reasonable suggestions on the subject. We regard the appointment of the Departmental Committee for enquiring and reporting on the possible retrenchment in this direction as one of the most important acts of the Council, and we can only echo the remark of the Chairman that they have a painful and unpleasant duty before them, but one from which in justice to the County and their constituents they cannot in honor flinch. The enquiry will occupy some time, and it will probably be weeks before a report can be brought up. We shall watch for its appearance with no small interest, and trust it may be such as the composition of the Committee at present leads us to expect.