TOLOGA BAY.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1101, 18 July 1882, Page 2

TOLOGA BAY.

(from our own correspondent.) July 17, 1882. On tho 15th instant two important matter* were traniaotod bora in tho paraphernalia of local government. One wa* the annual mooting of ratepayer* of the Turanganul Highway District. The meeting was called by Andrew lieeves, Esq., J.P., the outgoing chairman, a gentleman who has devoted much time and attention for several year* past to local public affairs, and regarding whom one universal feeling of regret has been expressed that neither at the late County Council election last November, nor at the present election for Toioga Riding would he consent to have hi* name put in nomination. Sooth to say, tho office is a thankless one, and that even when a settler tries to “ oblige ” the Council by promoting their views for the benefit of the distriot, and goo* so far ns to advance money on the public behalf, he runs tho risk of getting no thanka, and of having to “ prove his case ” and show his authority before ho oan rocqvev his own cash advanced out of poeket. The mooting of the Turanganui Highway District ratepayers took place in tho Toioga Bay Hotel on tho 15th July, when the following ratepayer* were elected Highway Trustee* for the cnsning year Messrs Andrew lioeVi's, S, Bobertsjn Stewart, W, Fownes Ml’ha”! \rnllody Hlml.-jqa T«* KanLaTnlrirnii. The h?t■••named gentlomr.n , bring Chairman of tho School Commit too, ; brought ta the at tention of tho rawpayara the i negk’i’.ied state of the road loading *t-o that i tind the want of a b. idgj oyer tho i

Mangarara Creek. In consequence of this advocacy the Trustees authorized a sufficient expenditure for those two objects. Hitherto the Trustees have left the roads to the doing or non-doing of the County Council, and Te Kani said he had been for two years ineffectually trying to get the Council to do these much-needed works. Let us hope now that the new Board will for the future expend their rates themselves directly in local improvements. Tho other local Government affair which took place nt Toioga Bay on the 15th July 1 was the polling for the election of a County Councillor for Toioga Riding, to fly. the vacancy, which the Act calls “ extraordinary,” caused by the continued absence from Council meetings of Mr. William Common, who was elected without opposition at tho general election last November, but who, about two months ago, left New Zealand and went to England. There wore two candidates for County Council honors :—One a local man, Mr. John Lees Allanach, and Mr. Charles Gray, who not only does not reside within the Riding, but is not on its roll of ratepayers. While therefore, supposing these two candidates to be equally worthy of the confidence of the ratepayers, Mr Allanach had the advantage of local knowledge of the roads (or rather ruts) of the Riding ; Mr Gray had the advantage of living close to Gisborne, where the Council meetings are held, and ho could thus attend at less sacrifice of time and costs. The nominations fully bore out tho same distinction ; for Mr Gray was nominated by Mr Andrew Graham and Mr Charles Seymour, who are of course on the Tolago Roll, but do not reside within the bounds of the Riding. The local candidate was nominated by two local men, Messrs Kirk and Mullooly. Mr Kirk, worthily fills tho office of ferryman and boot and shoo maker, both to tho travelling and resident lieges. Of Mr Mullooly nothing need be said: He is too old and respected an identity to bo spoken of other than in the language of lasting adulation. “ Mickey ! May your shadow never grow less ! ” Our have discovered that an invalidating peculiarity attaches to the nomination of Mr Gray ; the name of one of his nominators being indeed on the Toioga Roll, but wrongly so. Mr Charles Seymour’s run, for which he is rated by the County, lies within tho Waimata and not tho Toioga Riding. Last year tho name of his brother, whom ho has succeeded was on tho roll for Waimata, and not on tho Toioga Roll ; in tho new rolls now in force this is reversed, Mr J. Seymour’s name having been expunged from tho Waimata and Mr C. Seymour’s inserted in the Toioga Roll, while their run remains tho same and is at Whangara, which lies some six miles out of tho Toioga Riding. Mr Seymour’s run is indeed within tho limits of tho Turanganui Highway District which extends South ns far as the Turanganui river and the Makauribush,whereas the Toioga Riding extends no farther South than tho stoop impending rook, which lie* immediately South of Potae, Mr Loisel’s station. How the name of Mr Seymour has boon inserted on the Toioga Roll in preference to the Waimata Roll, cannot bo explained by any of our resident local authorities, Suoh explanation must be given by the Cook County Council itself.

As regards tho place of meeting of the Cook County Council, which has hitherto invariably been at Gisborne—a borough excluded from the bounds and jurisdiction of tho County—there scoina no valid reason why Council meetings should not bo hold at various places. At present all tho onus and expenses travelling falls to the country members. Why should. not the M.C.C.’s, who reside near Gisborne, migrate at meeting time to Toioga, Waiapu, or some other—ro them—outlandish plaee ? This would be only fair play towards the member for Waiapu, who lately travelled 170 miles (from his house at Tuparoa to Gisborne and back), and found no quorum ! What a damper to Mr Milner’* public ardour j Tho towniah members, by visiting out-districts, would enlarge their ideas of their duties, and of the real and pressing necessities of thee© out-distriots. They would, moreover, form a peripatetic Board of Survey, and bo able to appreciate and to understand and realize the truth of the reports of their own Engineer, which at present, from want of local knowledge on their part, they must have considerable difficulty in doing. They would further be able to show that they were ready as Councillors to servo the public even at some personal inconvenience and expense ; a readiness concerning which many of their constituents are at present not a littlo sceptical. So long, indeed, as country members are not paid for their expenses—if not also for their loss of time—the holding of the County Council meetings always at Gisborne must bo a one-sided affair, and an inefficient method of granting representation equally to each and every Riding of the County. The polling resulted in tho unmitigated success of Mr Allanach, who got IS votes, while Mr Gray got not a single vote. This unanimity destroys the secrecy of voting. Let us hope that our new members may not have to go to Gisborne to every Council meeting, but that Messrs. Allanach and Milner may both soon have the opportunity of entertaining the townish Councillors at their respective establishments.

While on public matters it may bo well to remark that before anything be done to the present line of Coast road it would be well for the County Council to determine whether in many places the present lino ought not to bo abandoned, and an entirely new line opened out. Such a line would go well inland in many place*, have better gradients, be more direct, and likewise open up new tracts of country. It is well known to Maoris and other old residents that good tracks may bo had along this Coast line, which would bo in many ways preferable to tho present track, but they cannot be travelled on for want of the necessary "cuttings and culverts. Then, also, many headland* oould bo made passable on the beach which now have to be olimbod over by the old Maori war-paths, now used for peaooful purpoio* of tramit. The fitful and fickle visits of tho Rosina stoamor would seem to have ceased altogether. It were indeed well that sho should entirely give tho trade up. as an opening would thereby bo mado for some other vessel, from which more satisfactory aervioo would no doubt be obtained. At present, and for somo time back, the visits of tho Rosina have boon like those of a comet whose orbit has not yet been determined by astronomer*. Our wants, being of somewhat regular occurrence, are thus very inefficiently supplied. Tho weather continues most boisterous and wet for these two months back.