COUNTY MANAGEMENT.

Patea Mail, 26 September 1881, Page 3

COUNTY MANAGEMENT.

COUNCIL V. ROAD BOARDS. The Connty Council is convened to meet on Tuesday, to consider a notice of motion by Mr Dale for rearranging the representation. The northern ; portion of the County beyond Manawapou river is now severed from Patea and created a separate County, with Hawera as the official centre. That takes away the larger half of the Paten area. The northern petition was started by Mr Francis Job Gane, as a.means of retorting on certain Councillors who had pj posed the formation of a Road Board for Waimate district. That opposition to the Waimate petition was a grievous mistake, as facts have proved. It was pointed out at the time, through the Ma|l,‘ justification for denying to Waimate what had been granted to every other district in the Connty. One consequence is the severance of the County ; but we regard as a more serious consequence the permanent sense of injustice which settlers on the Plains must have felt at the illiberal action of a Council which denied local management to a road district. Mr Gane fought that contest through, against a bare majority, at first, and then against a minority who defeated him repeatedly on technical points. We believe the Chairman’s ruling against Mr Gane was technically right in each instance; but there was the blindrerror of’creating sympathy for an opponent by’; tactics which eiiSnred victory to him in the long-run. Mr Gane Wat the Chairman, and converted the Corinci!; and his perseverance shqnld bo recognised as a useful quality when well directed, as most persons must now allow it was in that case. Mr Gane is not a first-rate Councillor, but he can fight hard. Ho began the Hawera County petition in a spirit of revenge. The pity is that other Councillors did not pursue more judiciously the first duty of keeping the Patea County united.

Probably the Council would have done the road-making on the Plains as efficiently as the Waimate Road Board is now doing it. But that is not the point. People will have local .control, and will not b6 governed from a remote centre if local control is within their reach. This sentiment is so palpable, that it is surprising more adroitness was not practised by certain wide-awake Councillors in resisting the Waimate petition for a Road Board. It ought to have been all-important to the smooth working of the County Council that injustice and enmity should not creep in to destroy unity of interest between one end of the district , and ’ another. Bnt there it is ; some of you contended that Road Boards are a mistake, and that yon would not assist in forming a new one at Waimate. By denying to that district what you allowed to other districts, you County advocates have destroyed all feeling of unity, have compelled a large part of the County to regard you as enemies to their common rights, and you have drifted to disaster. What is the remedy ? Nine Councillors are needed for the remaining piece of County ; and Mr Dale will propose on Tuesday that Waverley Riding shall have four, that Whennaknra shall be a new Riding with one member, and that Otoia Riding shall have four members instead of two. The elections are due in November, and there is jnst time to make a redistribution of seats and confirm -the resolution before this Council * dissolves/ The Hawera Riding will take away Messrs Hunter, Gane, Partridge, and Winks.

Mr Dale intends, we believe, to propose that Road Boards within Patea County shall be abolished. This could

be done simply by declaring all roads to

be Connty roads, and so depriving the Road Boards of any duties. We slip pose this proposal will be left till after the elections ; for it seems only fair that a radical change of this sort ought to be referred to the ratepayers.