THE MANAWATU CIRCULAR.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue 67, 22 April 1881, Page 2

THE MANAWATU CIRCULAR.

[M&rlborough Express.] During the few years succeeding the introduction of the Public Works policy of Sir Julius Yogel, when borrowed money was plentiful, a continued struggle took place between various public bodies to endeavour to obtain a greater amount of the circulating medium than would have fallen to their share if strict justice and impartiality had been exercised. The practice of " deputationising " assumed gigantic proportions. Ministerswere daily pesteied. with delusive statements made by interestejT" k * parties to secure money being spent in their districts, the applications of course being Wased upon the most patriotic grounds. E' cry bridge across a mountain torrent in the line of some unfrequented track, a»<l every stretch of road through a sparselj'-sett'ofl district was declared to be an urgent C.»lf>nial work, without the prcmc'cution <>f which the Public Works Hchemß would fail to bent-tic the Colony to the extent intended. As a consequence of this action many works were undertaken at the expense of the Colony for purely political purposes — works whioh by no stretch of imagination could over be expected to become reproductive. Then tke public money began to get scarce, ard the system of waiting on thofA in power to expedite tlioir movements died a natural death. The Manawatu County Council has, however, taken a bolder flight, and in a circa, lar wbioh baa been sent to the varione lota

bodies in New Zealand, suggests that united action should take place in the direction of, bringing pressure to bear, upon members of Parliament,, to secure the establishment of a system of subsidies to local bodies, based upon principles set forth in the circular. This circular has been already published in our columns ami we must say that we agree with the prnposals mentioned, .in so far as they apply to uncompleted or" future roads through Crown Lands. The whole of the proposals in fact are at least reasonable, and it is because of this that we cannot imderstanri why the Manawatu Council . , shouLl deem it necessary to organise a Conference to debate the subject, or go to the extreme of deriring^to bring direct pressure to bear upon individual members^ to secure their approval of the plan. If it is a just and reasonable one, there is no reason to believe that the House will refuse to sanction it, and for this reason wVthihV a certain amount of unnecessary fuss is displayed by the Council,, though doubtless its members feel a pardonable degree of self-satisfaction after having incubated a project which at least seems suited to the requirements of the Colony as a whole.. But we think that if the matter were entrusted to the member for Manawatu. MWalter Johnston, the expense of a Conr fereape might be avoided, and the pro? jfosals would be more likely to receive attention, seeing that he has but recently accepted a portfolio in the Ministry. We are the more inclined to discourage this idea of a Conference when we remember the Municipal Conference which was held some few years. ago, at the suggestion _ of the Thames Borough Council, and which separated without producing one single good result, ithongh it entailed a certain amount of expense upon each Borough that forwarded delegates. The subsidy question is of course a most important one, and it iseminently, necessary "that some proper mean* should be devised by which local bodies will be enabled to undertake the work of opening up the country by mean? of roads &c, but there is no reason to infer that Parliament needs the imposition of pressure to induce it to attend to attend to the wants of- the Colony. On the contrary, there is every cause to believe that if a workable system is propounded by &n) member it will be well received, and in view of this fact we trust no public body in this district at least will take part in the useless experiment suggested by the Manawatu Council. ■ ■ ■<