Poverty Bay Standard. PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY, THURSDAY AND SATURDAY MORNINGS. GISBORNE: SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 1883.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1302, 31 March 1883, Page 2

Poverty Bay Standard. PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY, THURSDAY AND SATURDAY MORNINGS. GISBORNE: SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 1883.

Tnr. discussion thiit took place at the County Council meeting on Thursday evening last, arising out of the application from the ough. Council for assistance from the County funds, towards constructing a bridge over !!••. Turanganui River, opposite to Gladstone Road, if it proved nothing else, it shewed the large powers that may be exorcised by • in veturding the of adistrlct. Ths Borough Council, His Wot ship the Mayor, and Cr. Townlea pointed out to the County Council that the Government had consented to grant. subject to the requirements of the l‘<-•*•'!* end Bridges Construction Act; a sum t awards the oort of the bridge. The deputation made the veby reasonable that, as the proposed work would jointly benefit l?oth the Borough and County Council, that the latter body should—not pay a lump sum down at once—but give its guarantee that it would, out of its annual revenue during three or four year*, , allocate a portion uf its funds to that par- ! ticular public work. The deputation, as well as some of the members of tile County ! Council, urged the consideration that ; the County property In the vicinity • would have its rateable value largely ■ enhanced. But all to no purpose. Mr. ; James Woodbine Johnson declared that the i County rates should not go towards such • work, and the County rates accordingly are [ withheld. Culverts on the road to Marae--1 taha ; metal from Patutahi; a railway up the valley ; and tinkering at the Arai bridge, nay, two bridges over the one stream, and within a few feet of each other—all these things may be done ; doubtless, will be done if Mr. Johnson wills it. But such a public work as that endeavored to be carried out by the Borough Council—no ; never, never, at least, while Cr. Johnson rules the Council Board. We have often felt inclined to dilate upon the extreme narrowness and selfishness I of the views held by one or two of the old ■ members of the Council, but we have rc- ! trained lest cur motives should be misconceived. But in the face of the glaring in- ' stance now before us, silence, is, journalistically speaking, little short of criminal. i There can be no doubt that, with the £l5OO ‘ promised by the Government, if the County J Council came forward, and we will not say liberally, but fairly met the Borough in this ! undertaking the ratepayers would have : strongly supported their representatives. But through the Johnsonian economy pracl tised by the County Council, initiated at ! the eleventh hour, the £l5OO already promised by the Government, lapses, aud becornea a total loss, and thus the Borough and the County sutler by the near-sighted policy i of the gentleman who represents in the i County Council the Arai Riding, and we are : afraid, nothing but the Arai Riding. We give i prominence to the action that Mr Johnson took at the Council in opposing the pro- ; mise of any assistance from out of the future I County rates, because if there be any public • virtue in the steps he took he, and he alone, i in our opinion, is fairly entitled to that acknov/ledgment his action merits. On the other hand, if in the minds of the ratepayers the decision of the County Council was unwise in practically refusing to co-operate with the Borough ; if they agree with us I that the augmented value from a rateable I point of view of the rich agricultural and ‘ pastoral lands immediately north-east of Gisy such a work should have sufficiently ■ the Council in incurring In the fuI ture the liability demanded, they can readily . discover for themselves the source whence ! the opposition flowed that has, for a time at all events, delayed and thwarted the carrying ! out of so important a public work to this dis- • trict as the bridging ot the Turanganui Riv er.