THE Pukekohe and Waiuku Times PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1916. COUNTY COUNCIL ADMINISTRATION.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 230, 28 November 1916, Page 2

THE Pukekohe and Waiuku Times PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1916. COUNTY COUNCIL ADMINISTRATION.

" We nothing extenuate, nor tet down auoht in malice."

In regard to certain criticisms passed on the work of the Franklin County Council for the year just ended by one of its number (Cr Lockwood) at last week's annual meeting of the Council, the veiy caustic and sensible reply was made by the chairman (Cr Flanagan) to the effect that if certain things had been left undone that ought to have been done they were, at least, more than counter-balanced by the record of work put through. It is, of course, easy to criticise and to point to imperfections in organisation or in execution, for no human being, much less a local authority, is perfect but the point is " Have there really been any serious sins of omission on the part of the County Council ?' Everyone would, of course, like first-class, roads but there is an old and true saying that you must walk before you can run and inasmuch as the Franklin County Council is still an infant in years—only having been established some four years ago—we hardly think it reasonable to suggest that its accomplishments could to any great extent have eclipsed the work that has been carried out. Cr Lockwood possibly speaks feelingly and conscientiously on the point but he happens to represent a riding that is easily the smallest and least productive from a revenue-producing point of view of the " mighty atoms" that compose the County and consequently if the Hunua riding is cot blessed with modern conveniences the County Council as a body, particularly in these days of thrift and enforced economy, should not reasonably be allotted the blame. Previously, Cr Lockwood has alluded to the shortcomings of the Government in catering for the development of the Hunua riding and in that way he has better grounds for complaint since lackblock settlements, aspiring for progress, must necessarily depend on Government assistance But even there again the Public Works Department has the reasonable excuse that expenditure as the result of the war is limited in the extreme.

As already stated, however, it was the Council and not the Government that on Wednesday was the object of Cr Lockwood's rebuke but with little real justification. He particularly indicted the Council for not purchasing its own teams of horses to carry out its work but in a subsequent discussion that arose he did not attempt to raise any argument against the unanimous opinion that as works were necessarily restricted through shortage of Government grants the possession of teams would be an expensive luxury. " The by-laws " constituted another source of Cr Lockwood's claims of the Council's inattention but as a matter of fact these have recently been revised und it is probably the Council's idea that as long as settlers observe regulations in a reasonable way they (tho settlers) should not bo unduly harassed. Cr Lockwood also complained that in the absence of any allocations appertaining to allotments of traffic his (Hunua) riding had to bear the brunt, presumably in the upkeep of roads, of through traffic—mainly from the Drury riding. Seeing that the practice uf the Council is that each member has the ruling of his own riding the reply to that indictment is that Cr Lock wood should have arrnnge'l for a tally of traffic to have been taken whereby lie could have, put forward a claim fo r

adjustment against the Drury riding. " The blackberry pest " was the only other argument put forward by | Cr Lockwood in support of his con- ' tention that the Council had failed in its duty to the public but that is a knotty problem and it i» the Agricultural Department ratier than any County Council that is given the powers to call offenders to book in that way. The arguments we have alluded to were voiced by Cr Lock wood not so much with a view of decrying the Council's work but on the plea that a change of chairman was desirable Where, however, Cr Flinagan as the retiring chaiiman was to be identified with Cr Lock wood's strictures we fail to see Bnd in our opinion the naturally implied suggestion that he had been remiss in his duties was neither warranted nor deserved. Cr Flanagan throughout his two years of office has been eminently attentive to the best interests of the Couuty and has devoted more time to the duties of his office than probably any other member could possibly do. At the same time we are in (•ympathy with the contention that the chairmanship of the Council should be subject to change—inasmuch as each and every member is entitled to aspire for the honour of presiding over the Council. Parliament, in its wisdom, has, however, comparatively recently determined that the Mayor of a City or Borough should hold office for two years instead of one as formerly, presumably under the belief that such continuous appointment analogous with the life of a City or Borough Council, produces the best results. It may therefore be very properly argued that since a County is of much larger proportions than a City or Borough, the occupancy of the chair of a County Council,should be identical at least with that of the tenure of office by County Councillors and that formed the basis on which the majority (although no actual vote was taken) favoured Cr Flanagan's retention of the chair.