The Southland Times. TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 1872.

Southland Times, Issue 1596, 25 June 1872, Page 2

The Southland Times. TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 1872.

The four councillors who on Thursday night voted for Mr Jaggebs's reply to the Superintendent's letter about the Tay-street money, no doubt thought they were doing a very clever thing. Young people are apt to be pert, and very sensitive on the score of their own dignity, and it would appear that young Town Councils are not free from the same failing. But it sometimes happens that a thing which looks very clever at the time, does not seem very wise when it is thought over at leisure, and we have little doubt that most of those who sanctioned this piece of boyish petulance, would feel quite as well pleased now to have let it alone. The letter written by Hiß Honor, was, as Mr Lttmsden said, simply what might have been expected from a vigilant Superintendent under the circumstances of the case. There was nothing in it at which the most susceptible local dignitary need have taken offence. It was simply a request, couched in the usual stereotyped official phrases, that the Council would pay the money derived from the sale of the Tay-street reserve into a special account, as a trust fund, to be applied to a specific purpose. Nothing oould be more reasonable or business like ; and the propriety of the course suggested must have been evident to the members of the Town Coancil, who are, without exception, practical men of business. The tone of the discussion which followed, however, showed an amount of interest in the subject, which would hardly have arisen on a mere question of the manner in which, the municipal accounts should be kept, and Mr Jaggees's resolution, " That the Council, having consulted the Act, fail to see the necessity" of complying with the Superintendent's request, was a virtual declaration of the Council's intention to keep the money where it is now, in the general municipal account. Now what is the meaning of this reluctance to set the money formally apart, in the manner usual in such cases ? Does the Council really mean to expend it on objects not contemplated by the Act which authorised the sale of the land ? It is possible that it may not, but it will be difficult to convince the Superintendent, after receiving the reply to bis letter, that something of the kind is not in contemplation. The result will probably be that at the ensuing session of Assembly, the Act will be so amended as to place the funds beyond the reach of misappropriation, possibly by taking tlie administration of them out of the hands of the Council altogether, and vesting them in trustees. And if this should happen, there is no doubt that the verdict of the public will be, " served the Council right." We do not ourselves imagine that any intention of dealing unfairly by this fund is entertained by any member of the Council, and if it were, the determined manner in which the Mayor announced his resolve to uphold the law, " against the expressed wish of five hundred Councils, if need be," j would set all anxiety at rest. But we cannot the less regret that the Council should have returned such a reply to the Superintendent's letter, as it cannot possibly do any good, and may perhaps interrupt the friendly relations hitherto existing between the Town Council and the Provincial (3-overnment. And when we consider in how many ways the Government have it in their power to forward or neglect the interests of the town, it is to be desired that this friendly relation should be cultivated as much as possible. We believe that Councillor Jaggebb let the real cat out of the bag, when he said that some councillors seemed displeased because the whole of the fund was not to be spent in a particular locality, and were actiug cantankerously in consequence. We trust the i public will not lose sight of this aspect of the question at the approaching municipal elections.