THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, JULY 28, 1876.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 385, 28 July 1876, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, JULY 28, 1876.

.The..County 3311 and its interideut vitality, the Provincial Abolition £.inaricinl. Arrangements Bill, appear ; to be little other than a convenient evasion of awkward questions. The principle underlying the measures from beginning to>nd is toinafe bodies do themselves that' which under ho circumstances, ratepayers represented by those_ 1 ocal low the Colony to do # .or if tliey would under faith in the potent 'sway' of the commander of borrowed millions—yet which lie oven hesitates to carry ' out in view of the certain results, first,, depression, next disaster,, if not repudiation itself.

Ihese Bills propose to enforce direct taxation through the machinery of a County system. For the first few years the- Government propose to grease the wheels of the local machinery a little with fat obtained out of the local larder. It is, however, pointed out clearly enough that after four years this stimulant will: be needed by the Colony itself. At the end of five years the Counties, passfed' the - ' weakness of a first youth, must find'*"ways

and means unaided to maintain roads, build bridges, pay interest on railways, .support Hospitals, Public Libraries, District Schools, and even contribute a substantial quota to the cost of the Colonial Police Force. At the end of the five years the balance of revenue derivable from the Educational Beserves is also to be absorbed by the Colony, while the Counties are to be allowed to try their powers unon all necessary expenditure in school buildings and repairs. In point of fact the Counties will groan under taxation, ■while it will be flaunted in the money market tnat there is no direct taxation in New Zealand. To complete the false pretence the land revenues, and eren the gold revenues, are to be credited to the Colony, as if the Colony were ready to participate, of as if the fund thus credited was available for payment ot interest upon loans existent or to be raised. Perhaps the Colony will participate. For our part we have no doubt whatever that, so far as the Counties are concerned, the Colony will participate in the land revenue. It is thought by many that the intention is to localise the land revenue in each County. This is not the case. The land revenue of Otago would be placed to a separate account m Wellington. Such balance. as the Commissioners of Audit saw good to say remained to credit of Otago diatrict, after deducting the thousand ado* one charges to be imposed undex* the Local Government Acts, would be handed to that district to be divided among the Counties in a peculiar way laid down. Supposing the County of Clyde in area equalled one-tenth of the whole Otago district, and contributed in rates one-twentieth of the whole rates levied within that district, and that the balance of land revenue was to be £IOO,OOO (instead of nothing), the County's share would be £6250! A much larger sum than that waa spent last year in each of the three districts that comprise the County of Clyde; The truth is that the poverty of -the Counties would be so great if ever men could be found bold enough to give them practical embodiment, that public works advances would continually have to be made bv the Government of the day. The Counties would sill be in the unfortunate position which so many of the Provinces a re. in now. '.the County Councils would have to emulate each other 111 acts of civility to the Premier in order to. get a grant of money to ward off the; poverty of the hour. "We do not like the County Bill.