THE FEILDING CHRONICLE AND WEDNESDAY, OCT. 29, 1879. LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 87, 29 October 1879, Page 3

THE FEILDING CHRONICLE AND WEDNESDAY, OCT. 29, 1879. LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

Tfifß ratepayers of Feilding stexa to be rather apathetic m tbe matter of local government, if we may, judge from the •paucity of the members present at the greeting of Thursday evening last, coa-

vened for the purpose of discussing the question. The supineness was manifest not only m the thinness of the attendance, but also m the absence of anything like enthusiasm on the part of those who were present. Indeed at one time during the meeting, although the advantages to be derived from either of the alternative schemes of local govern-me'ntr-a Muncipality or a Local Board —were put before them m a clear and lucid manner by Mr. Macartlmr, it seemed doubtful whether the ratepayers cared to adopt either of them. ; However,, towards the v close of the meeting, an amendment to a resolution for a adopting, the Local Board scheme, to the effect that the meeting be adjourned for a fortnight ', seemed to put them on their mettle. They negatived the amendment and carried the original resolution unanimously. It would have been matter for regret Jiad the ratepayers—as some of them seemed disposed:to /do— resolved to continue to entrust the managpientof their affairs to the" Manchester Highway Board. These parties, to our, mind, took too contracted a view of the 1 question m confining their consideration of it to its pounds, shillings, juid pence phase merely. They -seemed \6 regard only -the' cost of local government without taking / into . account .the advantages accruing from it, and to altogether ignore the fact that the township had quite but-grown the administrative -resources of; the Highway Board, which found i tself tin ab le', to devote • tliat attention toats'requireme^ : se rved ;■ : • -We : are glad that ulti mateiy more counsels prevailed, and that there now is every probability that m a short time local government will have 'become an established fact m Feilding, the preliminary steps having already been taken. . There can, yre .think, hp /but little doubt that the ratepayers have made a wise selection y in : adopting for the pre- ; sent*' Locals Board, scheme. Mr. Maearthur, m comparing— or/ rather contrasting — at the /meeting referred to, the two schemes, declared strongly m •favor of the one adopted. ! No one, we r believe.lpossesses & larger stake m the "town than that .gentleman, andno one, we may rest assured, would: bring a larger of care and -far-seeing acumen to the .task pf inquiring into,. arid 1 a-scertaiping; wjiichj ,bf the; two, schemes . would best subserve the * interest pf the township. .In examining the arguments that be adduced m favor of municipalities, Mr. Mac.'.iarjjlrnij.noticed, as one of them, the boi'rqwing powers conferred upon Boro.ugh Councils- He stated, however, ihat ? , these powers, m the case of small townships, ' i rfere ; rendered' 'nuga|ory by reason, of Governmerit having inserted m the Act a, clause limiting ,the .rate of interest to be paid on loans ;to sevon per, cent., as no capitalist. in, the colony would care to advance money at that interest qr> tlaje security of .-.the, r^tos^ when | so ro.nch Higher interest" ooul d ; be obtained, qn the more tangible security qf freeholds; while the loftnV that would b.e required by these small townships would be of top trifling an 'amount to en^bJQthein/ to. be placed on the Home market. Now, if , tliere were n.oraeans of gettingoyer this difficulty— "if borrowing* were to be practically con-, fined to Targe towns and cities, who could afford to go in/ for. +heir hundred thousand pounds ' loans -^the' Municipal Corporations .Act; would be greatly, circumscribed m .its beneficial operatibh.'i^But a movement i has r been T«n r foot for sorne time—with, what, success we are not aware-r-fbr overcoming, this difflciil ty. It was thought that thougH ; boronghs individually , might fail— as Mas.ferlbh and Palmerston have failed— ih,6btaininglbans within the prescribed limit of interest, yet that collectively they might do so Jby floating at Home an Amalgamated Borough Loan, each of the' amalgamatihg;bbroughs guaranteering; security, proportionate to its -requirements, fr>r such '16an; ' We regret that Mr.iMacarthur did.nbt allude to this combined action of boroughs in= the matter bfioans._ i The soundness of the policy of constructing public worfes but of borrowed capital, instead of Out of "ordinary reveniie, 'is \ universally adr mitted ; and this is the gi'arid difference between the Xbcal Boa^d and" ;/the Munu'ipal Gorporatipn i schemes of local : government.; Under the former the construction of public works is _paid for out of the ordinary revenue ; while, under the latter it comes out of''borrowed capital. 'Drainage must be regarded as a public work, the benefits of which will be reaped by posterity equally as much as ' by the existing' generation, and we hold th-at it is unfair to tax the tettier^exclusively while •allowing, posterity to go Scott free. But it may. be several years- before -the township requires any elaborate and expensive system bf drainage, and by that time no doubt Feilding will have been constituted a borough, with its .mayor and army, of .councillors. In. the meantime it is satisfactory to know that wp, shall have a local governing body; which "will, as. it wore, prove the nursery for bur future civic politicians. ! ;