The Patea Mail PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1876.

Patea Mail, Volume II, Issue 180, 30 December 1876, Page 2

The Patea Mail PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1876.

The newly-elected County Council will Lave a .legal existence on and after Monday next, the Ist of January, 1877, being the clay on which the Counties Bill comes into operation. All provincialdom on that fatal day fades into oblivion, and County rule will be thenceforth paramount. It is without doubt a great experiment, one calculated to influence- largely, for good or evil, the best interests of the colony, but one from which at present the best hopes maybe fairly indulged in. There was not a doubt that the Provincial Governments bad served their time. They were of great use in the old days, but they survived their usefulness, and have been committed to the limbo of the past. The new regime may bo fairly said to have set in, and it is to be hoped will come up to the expectations formed of it. In the Patoa County the work of the Council will bo exceptionally difficult, and it will tax the best energies, and the greatest intelligence of The County Council to administer its affairs in a thoroughly satisfactory manner. ■Everything is now, all organisation has to be effected, a . vast amount of work has to be done,, a great area of country has to be looked after, public works to a large extent arc needed, and councillors will not hud a special bed of

roses prepared for thorn for some time to come. Jealousies of different kinds must arise between the various districts, and it will take the County Council sonic time to abate what may,bo termed the preliminary discord, Be> that how' it may, it is the duty ofithe recently chosen to meet as soon as possible, and get the County chaos into some sort of shape and form, as early as possible. There is an abundance of work before them. There are public works to be executed, there is- a rate roll to be arranged, there are public institutions, such as hospitals, iic., to be provided lor, there are licenses to .be discussed, and indeed to go through the whole duties that have devolved on the new body, would occupy a large space. The work of administering the a (Fairs of a County, of the importance and extent as that of Pa tea, will bo no easy one, and, as we have previously observed, will require all the united intelligence of the Council. There will only be two, or at most throe, executive officers needed. The first of course is the Chairman, the second the Secretary, and the third the Engineer. Now, with- respect to the first, as is generally known, ho has to be elected by the Council themselves, and too great care cannot be shown in such election. On the wise choice of a wise head much will depend ; indeed on the Chairman will nearly all the administration hang. Several have been named as aspirants to the honor, whether rightly or wrongly remains to be seen, and it would be unbecoming on our part to indicate in any way in wdiich direction our sympathies lie. At the same time, we would most strongly and urgently impress on members that the election of such an important administrative officer, who will rule for two years, is an all important matter, and would counsel the greatest care and consideration before corning to any conclusion, It is a matter that -should not be clooulod by any personal feeling, however warm that might bo, but by studying who is best fitted for the office. If the Council make any mistake in this direction, they will make a rod to whip themselves and their constituents. Ecpial care in the selection of officers should also be exercised, for on them as well as the Chairman, will the progress of the County materially depend. There is this difference between them -and the Chairman, however, and It is a material one too, if they either misconduct themselves, or prove themselves incompetent, they can be dismissed. The Chairman, excepting under very exceptional circumstances, is a fixture. Some discussion has taken place relative to paying the Chairman, a salary and some of the candidates pledged themselves to accept none in case of being elected. This wo hold to be perfect nonsense. If the duties of Chairman are properly fulfilled it will require a great deal of time, and no small amount of expense, and it is unreasonable to expect any one to lose both time an I money, without recoupment, in the public service. The remuneration may be adapted to actual loss, but should certainly bo reasonable and just. What should bo paid to the officers is a matter for the Council’s consideration. In conclusion, we trust, as the Counties Act may now bo. said to bo in operation, that the Patea Council will be called together as soon as possible, in order to clear away the inevitable work that must bo gone through by newly formed public bodies, no matter of what kind. There are extra difficulties in the present case, but from the constitution of the Council we have no doubt that they will be successfully surmounted.

[Since the above was in typo, we have been favored by Mr C. F. Sherwood, with a copy of the subjoined telegram, received by him from the , Hon. Major Atkinson, as follows ;—“ Council is called by Governor; will meet at R.M., Court, Carlyle, on 4th January.” Thus it will bo seen that on Thursday next, the first meeting of the Council will take place.] .