MEETING AT RICHMOND.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 11, 13 January 1879, Page 2

MEETING AT RICHMOND.

A meeting at which between 40 and 50 were present was held at Richmond on Satin* day night for the purpose of discussing the advisability of bringing the Counties Act into force in the County of Wairaea.

Mr White, the chairman of the Wainiea Road Board, ha?ing been voted to the chair, said that the Road Board had called a series of meetings in order to ascertain the feeling of the ratepayers on ibis matter. Hitherto they bad pronounced against the Act and he waa anxious to learn what those who were there that night thought of it. lie wished to take the ppportunity of thanking the County Council for tile spitit of fairness in which they had acted in delayiug bringing the Act into full force until the people had been allowed to express their opinion, as they might have done it at once when it would hare been irrevocable. Iv the course of a speech of some length Mr White gave his reasons for being opposed to the Act which, shortly put, were that it would render necessary two sets of officials to do that which was now being performed by one, that no corresponding advantages would be gained, and that an additional expense of from £500 to £700 a year would be entailed which would either have to be raised by a County rate or taken out of the funds. now applied to keeping the roads in repair. Mr Barnicoat, who was called upon to speak, said that the County Council at its last meeting had decided to delay bringing the Act into operation in order to give the ratepayers an opportunity of expressing their opinion, and, as chairman of the Council, he was there that night rather to be guided than to give information. However, since he had been called upon he would willingly do so. The Chairman had rightly said that very little was generally known with regard to the Act, and therefore i< would not be out of place to remind them that when Provincialism was abolished the colony was divided into Counties, each of which was to elect a Council of not more than nine members. Then, curiously enough, these Councils had to determine whether the Act under which they had been called into existence should be brought iuto force in their Counties. The County revenue was derived from auctioneers' and publicans' licenses, g6ld revenue and duty, dog taxes, and a variety of other sources, and in the County of Waimea it amounted in all to about £3000, so that there would be no occasion to resort to a rate, which the Act did not render obligatory, but said that it " may be " raised.

Mr Keixing: I remember when I was in the Provincial Council I was told that when ever the word " may " was used in reference to raising taxes it always meant " shall," Mr Barnicoat admitted that frequently it was so, but he did not see the necessity for it in the present instance. He was in favor of bringing the Act into force although he could not promise that any great boon was to be derived from it, but, on the other hand, he could not see that its opponents could urge any strong reasons against it. He thought that the additional expense that had been spoken of was much exaggerated, as a clerk and treasurer were all that would be required. If he thought the adoption of the Act would prove fatal to the Boards, or in any way interfere with them, he certainly would not support it. There would be an increase of power to the Council which, he thought, might be assumed with advantage to the people. In the first place the Council was a body corporate, and could hold lands, \Yhich the Road Boards could not. Another, though very small, power would be gained. It was well known that the various ridings were named in a way calculated to create confusion, and that the representation was not very nicely balanced. If they adopted the Act, they could remedy these little errors and inaccuracies. It was also conceivable that at some time it might be an advantage to be able to borrow money, and should the dreadful necessity arise, they would have the power to do so. Then there were certain roads which the County should take charge of, for though they were not to the interests of any special Road Board districts, they certainly were to the community at large, such for instance as that over the Moutere hills. Then again it must surely-come that the relief of the poor and the management of hospitals asylums, &c, would be handed over to the local bodies, and it would be well to be in a position to take advantage of a clause in the Financial Arrangements Act, whereby the Government give £1 for £1 for such purposes. At present the Counties and Boroughs were,as a matter of fact, paying the whole of the cost of these institutions, while they had no voice in their management or the expen diture of the money. They would also have the power of subsidising public libraries, a want that had been much felt since the abolition of Provincialism. The County could also deal with toll gates. Powers were also given for compelling people to combine for drainage purposes, of "which some of the residents in the County would, he felt snre, advantageously avail themselves, He could not say that any of these reasons in themselves were very large or weighty, but in the aggregate they certainly were worth consideration. He thought that of the two the reasons for bringing the Act into operation were stronger than those against it. They would have greater powers, while the expenses that were anticipated would prove a nightmare, mere moonshine.

Mr Rout would supplement Mr ßarnicoat's remarks. At present there was no body to express public opinion, the Road Boards being too insignificant, and this be considered one of the strongest arguments in favor of adopting the Act, As for the expenses, they would be amply made up by the fact of the County having the manipulation of its own funds, and the power of properly allocating the cost of charitable aid, hospitals, lunatic asylums, &c.

Mr Kelling was disappointed with the meeting. He came seeking for information but had received none. The Chairman was evidently against the Act. Then Mr Barnicoat spoke, and he had first assumed the part of a Judge and summed up pretty impartially, but towards the close of his remarks had turned round in favor of giving additional powers to the County Councils. After all this proposal to adopt the Act was nothing more than striving after power. He did not blame the Council for this, or the Road Boards for resisting it, as both were acting merely in accordance with the nature of human beings. Were there large sums of money to be dealt with he thought the Act might be useful, but there were not, and he thought it far better to leave to the Road Boards the expenditure of the taxation where it was raised. He had not heard a single argument to convince him of the propriety of bringing the Act into operation Mr Fowler failed to see the benefit of the Act. There would certainly be additional expenditure, and the work would nofc be better done. The County Council would either be a sort of upper Road Board or a small Provincial Council, und must have funds. He would move, " That in the opinion of this meeting it is not desirable to bring Ihe Counties Act into operation at the present time." '_ ' ■ Mr Root thought the bugbear of taxation was made too much of altogether. They seemed to look upon the County Council as an autocratic body that could levy taxes and do just as they pleased, entirely ignoring the fact that they were elected by, and resnonai-

ble to, the ratepayers. He hoped the .good sense of those pn-Sttot wonld conic to their aid and prevent them from supporting such a resolution, whicn was but the outcome of the Road Boards' opposition to the County Council.

Mr Kkllixg (bought they should be very careful about creating a body having the power to levy more rates.

Mr Knigiit thought the expenses would be greatly increased, and the work not so efficiently done.

Mr JJaunicoat did not wish to persuade the meeting r<> vote against the resolution, but diil not like (hem to come to any decision without, firsl understanding what they were doing. It was act at all a question between tiie Council and the Road Boards, as they would work loguther and not in opposition. The Council bad the power of handing over the funds to the Road Boards for expendi ture, and would do ho. One reason- for adopting the Act, which he had omitted to mention before, was that such works as the maintenance of bridges would then be taken in band by the Council, as they should be, instead of the expense falling upon the Boards in whose district they chanced to be.

Mr Rout would move as an amendment, " That in the opinion of tui3 meeting, sufficient information has not been afforded to justify it in dealing with the question." Those present were but a small portion of the County, which in the Council was fully represented, and those representatives had decided in favor of the Act.

Mr llabkxess, jun., seconded the amendment.

Mr Kellixg thought the amendment an insult to the meeting, which had got all the information it required, and had had it for two years.

Mr A. Barley said that he had nothing in view. He did not want to be chairmau of the Council, or clerk, neither wa3 he sitting on a rail, but be was there as an independent man holding strong opinions on the subject. At present they had to pay a shilling in the pound, and they didn't want to pay any more. Once give the Council the power "to levy rates, and they would be like the beggar on horseback. Mr Barmcoat seemed to have modified his views very much since he leffc the Road Board, as he then said there was but one cake to eat and he thought the Board were quite capable of swallowiug the whole of it without any assistance from the Council.

The amendment was then put with the following result:— Ayes 5, Noes 10. On the resolution being put the Ayes were 11, and the Noes 6. It was therefore declared to be carried.

A vote of thauks to the chairman terminated the proceedings.