The Pahiatua Star. (Published Tuesdays and Fridays.) TUESDAY. JULY 6. l886.

Pahiatua Star and Eketahuna Advertiser, Volume 1, Issue 8, 6 July 1886, Page 2

The Pahiatua Star. (Published Tuesdays and Fridays.) TUESDAY. JULY 6. 1886.

Tun our New Zeeland legislators arr Jcvtlojiic” uto inure titan onliuar.' tUteenicn iuu*t be apparent to ell wL< ktudy their actions. Merely • debate . takes place iu the House now without i some of the greatest twaddle imagiu- j able ia introduced, and the valuable ; time of the country is wa«ted on per- i sonhl attacks and ussier* diara-vion. It ia refmslnlig In occasionally hear a ■mart reply from a member, hut to convert the House of Representative* into a “ bear garden” is not wliat tin* country wishes ; and it will be a matter of difficulty for some member* to meet their constituents without having to admit that they have wasted the belt part of the present Mission in 11011asuiairal talk. The latest edifying diieuaeion occurre<l in Committee on the Dog Registration Amendment Hill, when the whole evening was comfortably spent in trying to arrive at the number of sporting dog* Mr VV. F. Itiicklaud (member for Franklin North) kept, and whether the said dogs could catch a hare if they saw one. That gentleman poasesaad, it was stated, lietween thirty and forty dogs, one of which •* stood to win him £750” the other day ; yet he objected to pay a pound for registering the animal. Tl le Maori members, for a wonder, assisted iu this intellectual debate, and they persistently opposed anything approaching a heavy tax on tliu i numerous •• valuable dogs" to lie found at a*«ry Maori pah. Mr Hakuene said hi* heart was at dark over this > Hill a* it was when he first heard of , the eruptions at Tnrawera. What a comparison t This noble savage then went on to say that there waa a Maori proverb which mid the importance of a village was estimated by tlie number of dogs iu it to welcome visitors, and be warned Mr McMillan, the “ father of the Hill,'’ that if ever be entered a Maori village the dogs would bark at him. Now, we ask any sane man if such twaddle as thin i* not a disgrace to our legislator*-- we do not say the ' whole of them, but a great many 7 ! Ther. l are numerous useful measure. | yet to be dealt with, but we are afraid if the business of the country is , allowed to go on in this slip-shod i fashion the Statute Hook will not pro- , fit much bv the labors of this session.

Tns Wairarapa East County Council intend at its next meeting to strike rates for the various ridings as follows :—A general rate over the whole County of in the £; a separate rate in the Masterton Hiding of fivesixteenth of a Id in the £ ; a separate rate in the Castlepoint Hiding of in the £ ; a separate rate in the Waiuiunru Hiding of jd in the £ ; a separate rate in the Alfredtou Hiding of iu the £. It is very clear, therefore, that the ratepayer* at this end have something to be thankful for in having separated from the Alfredtou Hiding, as there * not tlie shadow of s doubt if Paliiatua were still taked on to that district, it would have to pay a jd County rate, instead of Jd as at present. For the year 1885-»s, the rateable property in the I’aliiatua district was 115,16 b acres, made up as follows : —Settle*l laud, 62,6bt) acres; Crown, CH.718; Native, 24,068 acres; which, at a jd rate produced £859 18s, the setters paying £lOl 4s 6d towards this amount. For the year 1886-7 the settled lauds will have increased by alxitit 17,000 acres, and taking the Crown and native lands at the same valuation as last year (owing toGovemnient not yet having furnished returnsi, the rateable area will he 18*2,078 acres, producing at a Jd rate £lB7 11s 7d, of which the settlers will contribute £sl 7s Id. Had we still belnuged to the Alfredtou Hiding, the Pahiatua district would have had to contribute £412 14s 9d instead of £lB7 11s 7d ; and we feel sure there are none but what will 1m- grateful that Pahiatua was coustituted a separate riding. The thanks of the community are due to Mr A. W. Sedcole for the energetic manner in which he pushed this matter through, as it must be apparent to all that the separation - took place none too soon, for it was jnst iu time to save coining under the rate which is almnt to be *truek, and thereby effecting a great saving to the ratepayers.

At last something definite has tieen heard of the |>etition forwarded to the Governor praying tlist Pahiatua he constitute.! a Town District. Mr MeCardlc has received a communication from the Colonial Mecretary, asking him to name a suitable person for appointment as Returning Officer to conduct the first election of Coin

im.-Monera ; also to suggest a suitable building and convenient day of the week for holding such election. Hefore die mee ting of the Parliamentary Union last night Mr MrCardle announced to those assembled that in compliance with the letter he intended to name Mr A. W. Sedcole as tlie first Returning Officer, who. a* rlerk of tlie Hoad Hoard, was tlie most suitable person for the position; and having obtained ilia consent of ilia Chairman (Mr Crewel, the Road Hoard office would he named aa the place fur holding tlie first meeting of tlie newlyelected (’■omwisiMotNf*. In order that

those interested may he prepared wWu the time arrivea, we may state that at the first election every householder w ithin the prescribed district is eligible forelection; bntataul-sequiut»lections no person will be qnalifiid unlew* laieo at an annual rental of £in at h-ast. \\> cannot do letter than quote

clauses 10, 11, and 12 of •• Tlie Toan DiXricte Act, IKHI," for the guiihnu-i----of ratepayers :—•• Any town district established uuder this Art shall thereafter cease tales part of tin- mail or highway district within which it waa tlu-retofore included ; hut stirli road district shall lie deemed to be the same road district aud the corjs,ration there ■if ths same aa before such town district its severed therefrom ; a town district established under thi* Act shall nevertheless continue to he a part of the county wherein it is included, and the property therein shall ha subject iu all resjiects to the county jurisdiction. aoou a* any town district is constituted, the Hoards wf the town district and of the road district, of which the town district was tlu-retofore a part, shall agree together aud determine as to the following matters:—(l.) What part of the property, real and personal, of tlie said road district shall become the property of the town district: <2. i What part of any rates payable to such road district at the date of the establishing of the town district shall lie deemed to bo rates payable to the town district : (8.) What part of the liabilities and engagement* of aucli road district outstanding at such dale ■hall he liabilities and engagements of the town district: (4.) What part of the interest and sinking fund of any loan (if any i raised by sneh road district shall lie paid by such town district : And aucli agreement shall be in writing, and shall he final as between the said districts.—lf no such agreement is made within two months after the first election of the Hoard of the town district, the Governor may, upon the application of either of the two Boards between whom such agreement it to be made, appoint any fit person or persons to hold an inquiry and make an award as to the several matters mentioned in tlie last preceding section, and their award thereon shall be final.” It now only remains for the Governor to appoint the time and place of the first election.