The Manawatu Times. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 1877.

Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 22, 3 January 1877, Page 2

The Manawatu Times. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 1877.

In a letter to the " Wairarapa Standard" of the 21st December, Mr C. Pbarazyn mildly deprecates the proposed suspension of the Counties Act m the West "Wairarapa County. He says " The Act allows the County three months m which to decide on this point, and m all probability they will see by that time that, by having the whole Act m force and not levying any rate under it, the Council will retain some most useful powers and be able to do much good for the district." This was Mr Pharazyn' s advice to the ratepayers on the eve of the elections, and the argument by which he enforces it is certainly a strange one. He says it would " obviously be most unfair" for the " County Council to levy rates m Local Board districts to expend for general County purposes, while those townships which became boroughs will be exempt from such rates." On the other hand, Mr Pharazyn remarks, it is absur4 to talk of exempting the Local Boards from the rates levied by the County Council, inasmuch as the Act does not authorize any such exemption. Here then is a difficulty, out of which Mr Pharazyn thinks he sees a way as follows:—He announces it as something that " will hardly be credited at first," that " whatever rate the Council may levy it will not, under existing arrangements, obtain one penny of extra subsidy m consideration of such rate." The meaning of this, as explained by Mr Pharazyn himself, is that the Council has the option of claiming a subsidy equal to the Road Board's rates, or equal to the rates levied by itself, "whichever of the two sums is the greater," and that if it claims a subsidy equal to the former sum, it cannot claim another subsidy equal to the latter ; and, says Mr Pharazyn, "the County Council will-^be strangely constituted indeed if it consents to levy any rate when no subsidy will be obtained m consideration of it." Therefore, he argues, it " may be taken for granted that under existing Acts no County rate will be levied m this district." Hence there will be no rate levied by the Council on the Local Boards, and that difficulty is obviated. Q. E.D. "We have met with some strange specimens of logic, but none stranger than this. The connection between the premisses and the conclusion, which seems so obvious to Mr Pharazyn, is an impenetrable mystery to us. Why the County Council should refuse to levy a, rate for important works, because the Government will not allow it to claim a double subsidy, is more than we can understand. It is not to be supposed for a moment that Mr Pharazyn would advocate such a principle of finance as that which is embodied m a saying once attributed by Mr Eoebuck to the Irish members m the House of Commons, that they wanted "to have a pull at the Exchequer." If the County Councils are to make it their constant aim to have " a pull at the Exchequer," and to avoid striking a rate for necessary purposes unless by so doing they can accomplish that aim, then the sooner they, one and all, execute the happy despatch upon themselves the better. It ~is -strange that Mr Pharazyn should fail to perceive that the difficulty which he apprehends wiih regard to levying rates on the Local Boards, cannot arise unless the Council and the Boards refuse to work harmoniously togeth er. If the Council levy a rate, within a township where there is a Local Board, what can be easier than to hand over the amount to the Board ? It surely matters not whether the money received by the Board be* levied by its own authority or by that of the County Council, and* both bodies would manifest a spirit worthy only

of ill-trained children if they fell to quarrelling about such, a matter. And similarly as regards the Road Boards. As an instance of the different points of view from which the same subject may be viewed by two different minds, we quote the following passage from a letter received by us from our respected correspondent Mr Monrad, who, m reference to the present subject, says : — "If the County Council and the Road Boards together want, say £2,400, this amount may be raised m two ways : — . 1. The Road Boards may collect as rates £600, which with the contributions from the Land Fund and Gheneral Fund makes £1,200- The County Council may do likewise and the sum total will be £2,400, half of which will have been raised from the ratepayers within the County. 2. The Road Boards may raise £800, the County nothing by the way of rates. The Road Boards will receive a subsidy of £800, and a similar amount will be paid to the County Council,— sum total, £2,400, onethird of which will have been paid by the ratepayers, who will, m short, if the rates are put on m this manner, pay £2 instead of £3 and yet have the same amount of money at their disposal for district and county roads. If some County Councils* and Road Boards see this and, act accordingly, then those who do not see it will be the losers. It is for our County Councillors and Road Wardens to work out the problem." Mr Monrad takes for granted that the Road Boards and the County Councils are to work together with a common object m view — the advancement of the district — and to allow no petty jealousies on their part to interfere with that object. "Whether the local bodies will manifest this spirit is a question for time to answer, but certain it is that upon their doing so the success of tne new local-government systetri depends. While the double or rather triple machinery exists m the Counties, nothing but public spirit and mutual forbearance on the part of the Council. and the Boards will ensure its working smoothly. With, all due respect to Mr Pharazyn, we venture to think that he deludes himself by supposing the County system to contain any safeguard or regulating power within, itself, for preventing a collision between the County Council and the Local Boards. Such collision will inevitably take place unless those bodies be composed of judicious men ; for upon that success will entirely depend, and this fact cannot be too constantly impressed upon the members of tne local bodieß.