THE CHAIRMAN'S SPEECH.

Manawatu Herald, Volume I, Issue 81, 10 June 1879, Page 2

THE CHAIRMAN'S SPEECH.

♦ The County Chairman, in his speech at the laßt sitting of the Council, explained very fully his views regarding the indebtedness of the Upper District Hidings, and dealt in some all- round hitting against those who have complained of that indebted^ ness. He asserted that only £2 14s had been paid as interest on overdraft during the past year, whilst interest haj been received to the amount of £43 5s on credit balances. This is doubtless very true, but we apprehend had Mr Macarthur stated at au earlier part of the sitting the fact of the interest on overdraft being fio small, he would have deprived his speech <m the Collectorship of its strongest point. He distinctly argued for that appointment on the ground, that "Asa matter of economy, they would save the cost of collection by the interest on overdraft. " The two statements we can reconcile only on the supposition that Mr Macarthur anticipates the Council will pay a very much larger sum during the current year as interest on overdraft than was paid during the past year. If he anticipates this, there seems every probability he will not be disappointed. As regards the general question involved, we consider it a bad principle that one half of the County should be allowed to go into debt when it has to trust to " luck " to pull through. This is undoubt edly the case regarding Kiwitea and Taonui. Mr Macarthur admitted that those Ridings " showed a debit balance over anct above their receipts for the coming yeai," but against this { he pitted their anticipated land fund. What would have been the position of Kiwitea and Taonui without the in* crease of rate ? "Would they not have been far worse off than Kawakawa ever was ? Was the Council right in permitting them to go so far into debt on the assumptions of an increase in the rate and subsidy, and expected land sales ? Should the Government withhold the land from sale owing to depression, or the native difficulty, the two Hidings mentioned will be in grave difficulties. On the whole, we are inclined to think that at present tnere is too much secrecy regarding the state of the funds in the different Hidings. From year's end to year's end, the public have almost no opportunity of knowing what the state of the funds really is, unless a member of the Council asks directly for information. Full publioity should be given to the financial posi* tion of the different Hidings. This could be attained by laying a balance sheet on the table at each sitting of the Council, showing the position of the different Ridings as regards revenue available, and the amount required for the "fixed services" during the rest of the year. Whilst the Council works on in a secret way, and no statement is ever made public of its financial position, the ratepayers will have very good cause to complain. The Council has no right to hide this knowledge from the settlers. We shall do our best to afford the desired information to our readers after the close of each meeting of the Council, gleaning it from the Hiding books.