THE FEILDING CHRONICLE AND ADVERTISER. SATURDAY, JULY 19, 1879. COUNTY COUNCIL TACTICS.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 58, 19 July 1879, Page 3

THE FEILDING CHRONICLE AND ADVERTISER. SATURDAY, JULY 19, 1879. COUNTY COUNCIL TACTICS.

Those of om'^^aders^ *Who have readihe reports of the County Council propeedings which have from time to time appeared ; m; the Manawatu Times- cany not fail to have noticed the feeling of {utter hostility* .e t vinep<M|b^ v thp repre.-r «entatires"""pf/^ the northern portibn "of the County. This spirit pf^^ rea;checl!:its climax at the-la'te r meeting -of ihe Conii-- 7 cil, held"! 'wt'Mon^ay week, and reported m exterfco m 'ourcoluipns on Sa^urday^ last. The circumstancps under which this iris brought about- are .briefly these. It transpired m the early part of v the proceedings that the plans and! fapers m connection with the proposed 'o*ton apd S.andon Rs;ihvay had i\ot een- deposited m the QqaneU office ■■■in^^-'"-j^7ilQ^qA,-. prescribed by the Aet-H>n^:''.h'a^ii!{g' been five days late, and anbthei^and . very! important one, several days, we 'might alipost say weeks, still later, "(a the face of these, facts having been 6]iCTted,"^6ifncillor f StWW W tUp.^'nirit'y tq §sfe,^he l, "•-*^S— A —y- M .— "■■•■''■ t ■■■•-i- .*.-» -^-* J *f-*..^*. --^n ),,/ _

Council to pass a resolution affirming that the plans and papers had been deposited by the promoters m accordance with the' Act — a resolution which Councillor Sanson himself, as pointed out by ,the Chairman, admitted was contrary to fact, aud one that Councillor G-oweb himself said he could not support. The mover then wished to amend his motion so as to read that the spirit of the Act had been complied with, but the Chairman ruled that the alteration was too important a one to be allowed except by way of resolution, when Councillor Go web moved ah amendment to! that effect* The Council, 'however, seemed disinclined to asseut to Ithe resolution, even m its modified form, several of the Councillors* suggesting that it-would : be more prudent that the letter of the Act should be complied with, when the time for adjournment arrived. On. resuming, Councillor Sanson: elected to commence the depositing of the plans and papers afresh, and the motion was! withdrawn. So far so we11.., Subset quently, however.Couhcillpr Halcombe brought forward a motion . asking the Government to adyapce. £ls,ooo for the construction of a rbad through the heart of the ptamat^pua Block, (lately acquired by the Government) Prior tp the sale of the land. The motion had everything to commend it. As was pointed out by the mover, the object of the paotion was simply to show the Government a way by which the Survey of the block .and the construction ol the road could, proceed simultaPebusly, and thus : secure immediate !profitable ; 4bccupatipn to; the : settlers purchasing, enhanced prices to the Government, augmented subsidies to the County, and, as a remote contingency, by the extension of the road to the- Murimotu, the bringing the traffic of the plains into the Manawatu. ; Despite these manifest advantages, Councillor Goweb had the hardihood— while admitting the.soundness of the principle of constructing roads prior to sale— to oppose the motion on. the ground that if the resolution were passed it might delay prospective advantage to Rangitikei! Such a monstrous argument as this did not fail to bring indignant and well-merited rebukes upon the head of its fabricator. The Chairman reminded him that lie had been sent to 'that Council .to protect and foster the iu4 terests of Manawatu, and not' those of Rangitikei, aadthp # mover, m reply, boldly his opinion that if Councillor Gower allowed such an argument to have -weight with him he would be- a traitor to the county he was sentithere to represent. The drift of Councillor Gowbr's opposition is clearly apparent. He wishes the road from Murimotu to go tbrough Rangitikei ".via Marton, as! that would^ m his opinion, afford a good argument for the Construction of a railway via Bulls and Sandon to Foxton; But if this spirit of hostility of the South' towards the North is tb be persisted m; if thb north' are to be sacrificed to a project still. Mii mt*n&»s and with the fate of another Sandon undertaking— tha Steam Flour . Mill— still dangling ; oyer the heads of the settlers, like the -sword oyer ;that of Damocles, likely to 4 remain there;; and if the welfare of the Manawatu County is to be postponed by the southern members, v to the welfare; of Rangitikeij then we say the sooner the North seeks separation from thb South the better; l r ; : . :'■''■• ! ' -- • - •