Untitled

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4211, 18 September 1874, Page 2

Tub Provincial Executive of Wellington, which w'e presume must mean in the case wo are about to allude to His Honor the Superintendent and his indefatigable Secretary, would appear to be determined to leave the inhabitants of the City a, memento of the incapacity and unwillingness of the institution they represent to undertake one of its plainest and most obvious duties. Wo allude specially to the Superintendent and the Secretary, because the action of the Executive was distinctly disclaimed at the meeting of the City Council yesterday, by His Worship the Mayor, who is the Provincial Solicitor. The City Council, with the inhabitants, had been under the belief that the Provincial Government would provide a proper plan of the City, with the levels accurately laid clown upon it, for the purpose of the streets being properly constructed, and an efficient system of drainage commenced. This belief now appears to have been a delusion and a snare. The Municipal authorities had agreed to bear an ascertained portion of the expense of the plan; and that it was a duty - of the Provincial Government to prepare it may bo , inferred from the fact that part of tho expense was to come out of the Provincial Treasury. We have so often been told that the General Government is the chief enemy Wellington has to dread, that it was with a little surprise wo found that tire Provincial authorities were standing in the way of a great and urgent improvement being speedily carried out. Tho streets of Wellington, partly because some of them arc on reclaimed land that has subsided, because others never have been formed, and because the repairs that have been undertaken on them have been simply adding mud to mud, are a disgrace to a City under municipal law, containing great natural advantages for drainage. At meeting after meeting of the City Council complaints are preferred of their condition, and tho one reply has to he vouchsafed, that until a comprehensive plan has been prepared, and the Council is in possession of tho funds it is authorised to borrow, no other than repairs of tho most- temporary character can be attempted. Tho Council, by the action, or rather inaction, of the Provincial authorities, finds itself placed in a false position. The best friends of Provincialism must be rather taken aback at the position the City Council finds itself in. They will say that Provincialism is affording evidence it should be swept away with the mud of tho streets of the City, tho inefficient drainage that has to do, or fail to do, duty, and the other nuisances that the very undesirable state of things wo are alluding to engenders. The City Council,, after being for several months in the very unhappy state of ignorance respecting the intentions of tho Provincial Government we have described, now finds that this latter authority, although willing to furnish a plan of tho City on the municipal authorities agreeing to bear the major proportion of the cost, declines to allow the engineer who prepares it to give the levels of tho streets. It is so clear.that when tho streets arc formed there should be proper provision made for the sewage to bo convoyed away, that wo may well bo astonished at the course adopted. The Superintendent may, and prob.ably will, justify tho action taken by a reference to the letter of his in which it was not admitted nor proposed that tho plan should contain tho levels ; but .this is a case in which equity rather than tho strict letter should he-considered. It is, as we said, the duty of tho Provincial Government to furnish a properly prepared plan, with surveys accurately plotted, of the sections of the City continually being sold at tho Provincial buildings, for which Crown grants are issued. The ' City Council, although it may undertake tho work for its own benefit, and tho welfare of tber inhabitants, cannot alter the fact of Provincial surveys or'plans. Really, the municipal authorities would appear to have actually exceeded their province in agreeing to spend mfiiiey upon what was literally the work of another body. But this is a case in which the end justified tho means. Every intelligent person knows that this work is a sine qua non, and if it could be done in this way better than any other, the City authorities consulted the interests of the ratepayers in entering, as they believed, into the arrangement. Eight months ago they thought they did so, and now they find that these eight months haVe been utterly wasted. • If they agreed to boar tho.major cost of tho plan, they might reasonably expect that tho Superintendent would not have waited till now before ho informed them that this plan would not contain a principal portion of tho information they required. The action taken certainly bears the appearance of being taken out of spito to tho City or the Council—why, we do not know. Nor is it tho first time tho Council has had just reason for complaint at the action of the Provincial Government. Recently application was made for a thin strip of foreshore in order to put down defence works to the breastwork to tho sea in front of tho Provincial Buildings. Tho Provincial Government would not give this trifle of land under water, needed for the welfare of tho trade of Wellington, but would sell it. A Provincial Government that displays such a manifest disregard to tho welfare of the capital city of the Colony cannot remain popular. The wisdom of the choice of tho To Aro Ward electors at the recent election received testimony, too, in tho proceedings of tho City Council. Councillor Dransfield, learning the decision tho Provincial Government had arrived at, after

denouncing tho delay tho Provincial Government had been the cause of, moved thatauadvertisomenr, the draft of which he had prepared, should be issued, calling for tenders for executing the work required by the Council. By doing this, he brought the matter under consideration at the earliest possible moment. Then Councillor George pointed out that there was an important omission in the advertisement, and the result was that he, with Councillors Dransfield and Mills, and the City Surveyor, ware appointed a committee to prepare one. It was admitted that Councillor George’s professional skill would be of value in this instance, and in view to such a contingency, we pointed out the desirability of his election. Here the matter stands. The masterly inaction of the Provincial Government has caused a delay that is very much to be regretted. Instead of setting about the work that was required, this has simply been dawdled over, whilst tho Superintendent braced up his energies to try conclusions with tho Premier, and rcceive.a damaging fall. His government, in respect to the matter we have alluded to, has shown itself to be feeble in purpose, infirm in execution, and impotent in results. The moral of tho story eyory one will'discern.