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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5208, 30 November 1877, Page 2

•In the House of Representatives on Wednesday there incidentally arose a very wide discussion on the effects of abolition and the general working of the county system. The debate came about in this way. ; Dr. Hodgkinson moved that a sufficient sum be placed on the Supplementary Estimates to bridge the Aparima River. It will be seen at a first glance that such a work of a purely local nature should never have been brought before Parliament. It might safely be said that one half the number of members of the House of Representatives did not even know of the precise locality of the proposed work, let alone whether it was one of a colonial character. Mr. Reid opened up a very wide question when he said that some means should be devised whereby such works could receive consideration without beingbroughtbefore Parliament. The old Provincial party came strongly to the front. Mr. Macandrbw was particularly oracular. He took immense predit to himself for his foresight. When he spoke the burden of his story was, “It is the effect of abolition. I told you so years ago, but no heed was taken of my warning. See what you abolitionists have brought about 1 ” We fail to see any particular evils' which have been brought about by the county system. The cry for abolition chiefly came from the outlying districts, and arose mainly from the neglect of such works as the one which formed the subject of Dr. Hodgkinson’s motion. It is no doubt an evil that Parliament should have to consider such works; but that was scarcely the evil which Mr. Macandrew’s words pointed to. That gentleman evidently meant that had the provinces been continued there would have been no occasioh for Dr. Hodgkinson to have brought forward his motion, — that the work would before this have been attended to by the provincial authorities. There was never bigger claptrap uttered within the walls of Parliament. Prom one end of the country to the other in the outlying districts there was an outcry that the provinces had chiefly failed through their incapacity to carry out such works. No matter how unsatisfactory the existing state of things, we are certain that no large body in the colony, outside the: chief towns, have a desire to return to provincialism. The fact is that the county system has failed less from any inherent defect than from the disinclination people have to tax themselves ' for local improvements. The Public Works policy has had an immense beneficial effect upon the colony, but it has hjad one great drawback. It has fostered a feeling amongst the people to look to the Government to execute works which, in any other British community, would be looked upon as of purely' local concern. In this country the majority of our representatives prate of a property and income tax for general revenue purposes, and those who are the loudest for this change in the incidence of taxation are the most 'persistent in urging before Parliament claims for local works, simply with the object of enabling their constituents to escape local direct taxation for the benefit of their own property. In England, the people are willing to be heavily taxed for local works, for they can see something tangible for their money; but they strenuously object to a penny being added to the income or property tax. The municipal debt of Great Britain now amounts to over £500,000,000, and to pay the interest on this amount the people of England tax themselves to the extent of some £20,000,000 a year—an annual charge which a high-class English contemporary tells us is borne without a murmur, and that the amount of interest charged on local rates is increasing at the fate of £300,000 a year. It really matters little what form of local government prevails in this colony if the people shirk their local obligations. Various remedies were suggested to prevent such a claim as that brought forward by Dr. Hodgkinson coming before Parliament. One member thought that the establishment of a Public Works Committee would go far to mitigate the evil, as an inquiry could be made into each particular work, so that only those of a deserving character should come before the House. The members of the committee would not only have very invidious duties to perform, but these duties would be of the most arduous character. Once it was recognised that Parliament had provided a machinery for dealing with those claims, the committee would be deluged with applications for works of a local character. If Parliament held itself anyway bound by the decision of the Public Works Committee, that committee would be recognised as of greater importance than the Ministry. We are inclined to agree with one of the speakers in the debate that the only way to put a stop to the constant demands made upon the colonial chest would be to borrow less money, for one thing is perfectly certain that the Consolidated Revenue could not bear the burden of snob charges. It is sheer nonsense to attribute to the county system the fact of such claims being urged in Parliament. As long as there is the slightest chance of their being acceded to members will bring them forward with the object of making political capital, and not seldom they are unwillingly forced to do so by the pressure put upon them by their constituents.