Manamatu Herald Thursday, sept. 15,1892. Loans to Local Bodies.

Manawatu Herald, 15 September 1892, Page 2

Manamatu Herald Thursday, sept. 15, 1892. Loans to Local Bodies.

Some misapprehension exists in the minds of the Burgesses regarding the two A ct 3 relating to loans to Local Bodies. One entitled " The Local Bodies' Loans Act 1880" empowers any local authority to raise money for the purpose of any public work, subject to certain conditions, one ot which is, that the Act shall only be in force in a district when its provisions are adopted by a special order, made by the local authority. It further enacts that the interest payable shall not exceed six per cent, and how the loan is to be repaid, either wholly at a stated period, or any parts thereof at stated periods, or by making any debentures of such loan repayable by periodical drawings, and by making a sinking fund. This Act thus empowers any Local Body to go on the open market to borrow, but restricts the amount of the interest. " The Government Loans to Local Bodies Act 1886" is a measure empowering the Government to make advances to Local Bodies but excludes City and Borough Councils. Under this Act the utmost that is lent in any one year is, to a County Council £6000, to a Road Board £8000, to a Town Board £800 and to a River Board £1000. The loan is made subject that the amounts lent shall bear interest at the rate of five per centum per annum which shall be payable half yearly for twenty six years. The Act is fenced round with the usual securities to both borrowers and lenders, that is to say, a special rate has to be struck, which however need not be raised, if sufficient funds are forthcoming out of the ordinary revenue to pay it, and a special vote has to be obtained. All this would hardly be worth recounting were it not that the Government have introduced an amending Bill which provides that " for all the purposes of the said Act the word " district shall include and be deemed to have included a city or borough, and « local authority ' shall include and be deemed to have included a City Council or Borough Council," thus placing these bodies within the advantages of the last mentioned Act. At present the Bill is not passed, and if it was, it would be of little use, unless the proposed amendments to " The Municiapal Corporations Bill " were also passed, in which the majority of the votes obtainable is made on the numbers actually polled and not of those upon the roll. It has been rumoured that owing to the Premier's unfortunate state of health this Bill may not be proceeded with this session, but we trust it will, and if successfully passed through Parliament our Borough Council might see some way of executing the urgent works that need doing, by raising a loan. Of course a great number of people do not like the merest mention of a loan for public works, after the experience of the past, but it cannot be gainsaid that it is impossible to develope a new district out of rates alone, and if borrowed money is carefully expended, it is in fact the oheapest form of getting such work done. It is far better for a ratepayer to find the money for the work done which he can enjoy, than to pay the same sum to do such work, year by year, and which he may never enjoy. It is also oheaper to do a work right through than in pieces. We have not yet got to this stage, as unless tbe amendment bill is passed, by which cheap money can be obtained from Government, it will not be worth our while to treat with outside money-lenders. The chanoe that it may pass should lead our public men to consider if they get it whether they will seize it, and how and for what.

Messrs McMillan, Rhodes A Go announce a cheap sale of crockery. The last Borough eleotion has aroused the interest in Borough affairs, and now when two or three are gathered together the conversation generally turns upon who is likely to be the next Mayor. All sorts aud conditions of men are mentioned, but we do not expect to see a larger field than three, if there is an eleotion at all. Candidates must remember that the election is decided on the one-naan-one-vote principle. Curious reasons are sometimes given for making holiday at schools, but the most curious was that given in Nelson the other day, when Mr Joyce, M.H.8., visited all the city schools, made a little speech in each, and then asked for a holiday in honour of the visit of the members, who happened to have stayed a day when out on a holiday trip. Was it to allow the little people to see by what great people ' tha colony is governed ?

At a committee nicetin. of the Rowing Clr.b held lately the question __ purchasing a racing four-oared outrigger wae discuSseu. We understend that the financial position of the Club is so good that it is intended to pay off trie first l_an of £50 very shortly. However if this new boat Is pdrchaeed more money will be needed, and two members kindly offered between them £75. We hope before anything is definitely settled a general meeting of the members will be convened, as we believe there would be no objection to this out'ay provided there is other money available to purchase two more boats somewat similar to the Rata. It is with much regret that we have to record the death of Margrret, the daughter of Mr and Mrs Austin, at an early hour yesterday morning. The deceased had been suffering for a long time and her death has been, to her, a happy arid blessed release. May her bereaved relatives sooil bei domforted. To them we tender our true sympathy. The funeral takes place to-morrow afternoon. The English cablegrams, though of little use in fixing the price of our hemp, yet are encouraging as endorsing the Values already agreed upon by millers and buyers. The country between Foxton and Sanson is looking very well now, feed appearing plentiful. Work is going on on tho land, farmers being busily ploughing. On the Carnarvon estate ft eotttraot has been let for clearing and ploughing between 400 and 500 acres for turnips. Mr F. Robinson is ploughing for oats, and Mr Gifford has not yet finished his wheat sowing. This settler has always a large area under crop. Messrs Stevens and Gorton's sale at Awahuri is announced for Tuesday next. The artesian pipe is now down fifty feet, and gravel was not met till thirty-eight feet, and then was found only two feet deep, after wliich the shingle is found much mixed with sand. From the report of the County meeting it will be seen that Mr Thomas Mitchell has resigned his seat. The letter notifying the fact was handed in just prior to the rising of the Council, and the members expressed themselves sorry to lose him. He has bpen a good representative for the Awahou Riding, and his successor will have all his work cut out to fill his place. Mr McKenzie made a few very kind and true remarks on moving tho motion of regret. There were a number of passengers by the special train to Sanson yesterday, and we believe the Council would find it to their advantage to give these facilitiss oftener. Stevenson and Macdonald secured the paddocking and scutching contracts, and Dwver the flax outting and carting contracts in connection with Mr Rutherford's Brandon Hall hemp mill. The Auditor General having had his attention drawn to some irregularities in the payment of interest on loan monies, by the Horowhenua County Council and Wirokino Road Board, he has written warning the chairman that they will be surcharged for these amounts if it again occurs. It appears that though the statement is correct, and the Auditor-General quite right, yet the informers have acted in a very peculiar spirit. The two chairmen are about to interview tbe AuditorGeneral on the matter. An information for attempting to pro, cure abortion has been laid by Dr Daven, port against Mr Syms, J.P., chemist, the prosecutor in the recent libel case. The case comes on for hearing next Tuesday. The contractor, Mr Baxter, is unable to obtain men at Broken Hill, and has gone to Melbourne to bring up his owu men. The Economist thinks the sympathy shown for the Broken Hill strikers by one or two colonial Ministers suggests that labour troubles in Australia will easily be resumed. The body of the unfortunate man James Head, drowned at Oroua Bridge was discovered underneath a snag in the river, on Monday, a short distance from the bridge. Home papers just to hand contain particulars of the trial of William Ernest Greatrex for the murder of his father, a member of th well-known firm of Greatrex and Son, at Leamington, on the 31st May last. The jury returned a verdiot of Guilty, but added that they were of opinion that at the time of the committal I of the crime the prisoner was not responsible for his actions. He was therefore ordered to be imprisoned during Her Majesty's pleasure. The Chronicle says:— Our readers will learn with regret of the death of Mr Charles Fletoher Harrison, son of the late Mr Henry Sbafto Harrison, who died < nly a few weeks ago. Mr Fletcher Harrison's death was very sudden, and entirely unexpected. A short time ago, whilst engaged on his farm, he was thrown from his horse and the animal fell upon him. He was only bruised, however, and apart from a slight pain in the side, which Boon passed away, he felt no inconvenience. Without anything more serious to lead up to his decease, he was found, at 11 o'clook on Saturday morning last, lying on his face in the garden, dead. Death was due to apoplexy. Some Maoris belonging to Homebush, whilst fishing in the Makora Creok, on Thursday, caught an eel weighing 371b*. says the Wairarapa Star. Mr McKenzie, who was present, weighed, and also measured it, its length being over five feet The same party, whilst fishing yesterday, caught another eel weighing 91b. and a large number of small ones. The monster is by far the biggest eel that has been oaught in this distriot.