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Hokitika Guardian, 26 July 1924, Page 2

Tim Westland County Count il has hytl rather an uphill fight on the subject of royalties revenue practically for the last ten years or so. Even before the Forestry Service came into existence the Government' was appropriating wrongly to itself, part of the local revenue which should have gone to the local liodies. As an outcome of the legal point.- raised hv the Westland County Council at the instigation of Mr Murdoch, the Government made the following adii'stments to the four Coast local hollies with tile explanation that the amounts had been credited wrongly as territorial revenue instead of goldfields revenue, namely : Westland County £U)SB 8 5 Grey County 2< <9 1 5 Inaugahua County 1900 18 8 Buller Cqunty 2797 8 10 £9433 17 4

Although there was such a large sum involved, the Government has never designed to give the local bodies a statement as to how the figures were arrived at. On the contrary, local bodies were piesented with a lump sum cheque and requested to sign a receipt in full settlement of their claims! The Westland County has never been satisfied it has received the amount it is fully entitled to. The Prime Minister promised an open investigation whereat the local body could be represented, but the tribunal lias not been set up. When the Royal Commission sat last year, the local body sought to have the matter ventilated, but the Commissioner stated the subject was outside bis order of reference. and the local Indies' claims are still ignored. Seeing that the Government, by the payments made, admitted a shortage of nearly ten thousand pounds, payments which were made only when satisfied as to the legality of the representations, the least that could le expected was a frank disclosure of the full position. If the Government appropriated the money wrongly it was hut fair and equitable the amount should lie disgorged. The Government lias the power of veto in its own bands, and that it is so exercising its power does not say much for its fairness. Now to add insult to injury, the Westland County is losing thousands annually through the forest operations with a prospective loss of not loss than a million and over.

fill-; big figures involved in the royalties question, as a Heeling the Westland County, is warrant enough for the members of the Count il pressing their claims on Parliament to the fullest extent, 'fhe leport of the Royal Commission itself is open to a good deal of ridicule because of its one-sid-ed character. It gives not any consideration to the legit mate claims of the local bodies where the natural wealth of the districts is being extracted for the benefit of a public department. It recognises the right of the Government to pass roulis-atory legislation, to commit a wrong without offering anything in fair exchange lor the cno: moils sum to be filched from the local bodies. -It gives no consideration to the needs cl lo:al government which arc of paramount interest ill districts such as those wilirli sm. forest chid. Development hv means of loading is necessarily more costly in heavy hush country, hut the report ignores this fact, and docs in suggest any special consideration on that account. On the eonttary, it hiius at. local enterprise being penalised where ] rivate tramways are built, and suggests these being utilised as common carriers without suggesting any quid pro quo. ’lhe:e we see the evil genius of the Forest Service again a-.scruiig itself, for that is a lavorite condition with that hiaucli of the puli, lie service. It will a) pio| riatc all it ran. and its taking ways do not stop at the colitis: ation of private tramways built with private money. The whole trend of the Forest Service as affecting the sawmilling industry, is to penalise the business where it can. It is forcing up royalties already, and is busy restricting export. Public enterprise in milling is a voiy unsafe venture nowadays and the whole industry is so hedged about that capital will lie mole and more shy ol spcciilatiug in the business. All of which goes to show that the outlook for this district in regard to its wealth of timber is likely to be held back seriously because of the position now being created around the whole service of timber getting.