The Southland Times. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1868.

Southland Times, Issue 1019, 11 September 1868, Page 2

The Southland Times. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1868.

The movement, recently initiated in Riverton, in favor of local self-govern-ment, (a public meeting for the consideration of which is announced to be held on Monday next) is a matter for congratulation. It is an index of the earnestness of the inhabitants of that portion of the Province to assume the responsibility of colonists in a more practical sense than has hitherto been displayed. The Greneral Government is wisely providing the machinery necessary to enable every locality in the colony to form itself into a road district, or a municipality, with a certainty of obtaining a proportion of the land fund to carry out the primary principles of colonisation — the construction of roads and bridges, and the providing for the efficient maintenance of those institutions incidental to social progress. Therefore, whenever an outlying district has any real or tangible cause of grievance — whenever the interests of a community, no matter how isolated from centres of population, are neglected — the constitutional mode of seeking redress is to petition the Provincial Council, with reference to those grievances, and if the prayer of the petitioners is not granted, there is then a fair and reasonable ground for an appeal to the Q-eneral Q-overnment.

At the last session of the Provincial Council, considerable sums of money were voted for the constriictidri of public works in the Riverton and Aparima Disfcrict3j and in this the people only obtained their just rights, for it must be remembered that these localities have contributed largely to the land revenue of the Province. They may think, however^ that they have not gained sufficient, and seek for more. So far then no objection can be offered to the action taken by the people of the Western District, but it may not perhaps be out of place 'to direct public attention to one of the principal points which appears to have been overlooked by our *~Birer ton friends, and that is the increased taxation they will have to bear for the purpose of paying the salaries of the offices which will be required to be called into existence. If the people of the Western District think it is necessary to petition for the establishment of a county, and assuming that their prayer is granted, there will be no inoney j except from the land fund and local taxation, to carry on the government, much less to make roads, &c. The next question arises — is the Province large enough to be cut up into two or three counties ? "We think not. Such a division would have the effect of retarding the progress of the whole community, and would work injuriously, especially at the present time, when the financial scheme of the General Government is under discussion. The debt of the province would have to be divided, and each separated locality would be required to pay its proportion of the interest and sinking fund on the heavy debt of the Province. This, we fancy, would be paying rather too dearly for a change in the existing state of affairs. All that is required in this Province may be obtained by the j creation of Uoad Districts or Municipalities, without the expensive official paraphernalia which would be necessary for County Councils. The County Act is not intended to apply to small provinces. The deficiency in the estimated revenue will necessitate the greatest possible economy in every branch of the Provincial Government service, and great care should be taken in adopting a new system, with new machinery, until it is proved that the change would be positively colonially, as well as locally, beneficial. We are favorable to the County system; but the outlying districts of Southland are too small and too poor to experimentalise in such matters. Let the inhabitants of every district avail themselves tothefullest extent of the opportunities afforded for obtaining local self-govern-ment, so long as the machinery for working such bodies is simple and inexpensive, but great caution should be used in advocating the creation of institutions, each of which might prove costly and inefficient. The following is a list of the amounts which ha>e been -

?dted ana expended tlaring the year* fo* the Western District, from which it will be seen that, as compared with the s*evenue received, the expenditure is largely in favw of that district }•*=

fiIVEBTON DISTRICT. Ss??avpn;tmß— (B months ended 81st August) SMvertan Jetiy £28 4 0 SlTerton JRifle Bute 25 0 0 "WaUacetowntoHtrerton'Ro&d 1163 14 8 Gteutau and Wray'B Buah ... 117 1| 0 Biverton to Otaut&u 1950 7 7 XnvereargiU to Biteyton via New Hirer Ferry ... 584 1© 6 B iter ton towards W&unatufcu inland toad 580 0 0 Aparlma Bridge 100 0 0 Salary of Pilot and Jetty Keeper 166 13 4 Harbor Contingencies ... 18 8 0 Police •» 200 0 0 £4916 6 1 EBCBIPT3 — All land «old west of "Wannatuku Eiver, and South of Mount Pleasent £955 0 7 Estimate of all other sources of Revenue other than Cus« toms 500 0 0 £1465 0 7