The Southland Times. INVERCARGILL:TUESDAY,NOV.4,1873.

Southland Times, Issue 1814, 4 November 1873, Page 2

The Southland Times. INVERCARGILL:TUESDAY,NOV.4,IB73.

It is in no spirit of carping criticism that we review the action of the Municipal Council at its last sitting relative to the rejection of the report of the Wards Committee. We are not at all disposed to undervalue either the labors ! of the Council or their results, although as far as the latter are concerned, it is probable that more permanent good would have been effected, and true economy more certaiuly maintaiued, had the works been less diffusive. As is natural also, the residents in some portions of the municipality have felt themselves injured by the adoption in the engineering department of the principle of a dead level, instead of occasionally regarding the natural features of the several localities. We do not moreover intend to discuss now the question as to the judicious nature of the several portioua of expenditure in point of time, that is as to whether it were wise or right to absorb a large portion of the revenue in an expenditure which without inconvenience might have been for a long time deferred, to the neglect of localities in which the necessity was apparent and urgent. We will deal with the rejection by the Council of the report of the Wards Committee by the adoption of the amendment by Councillor Jaggebs, " That this Council does not consider it advisable to divide the town into wards" The quest on need not be discussed on its merits to show the absurdity of an amendment of this nature in the face of the previous action of the Council in appointing the Wards Committee. We have no doubt but that the gentlemen composing that committee have, as the result of their labors, met with all the courtesy they expected at the hands of those who were opposed to them in the Council, but to onlookers the possession of an amount of intelligence even far below the average would seem to impel to a conclusion that the Committee having been appointed by the Council for a spoeißc object, the Council was bound to receive their labors, and at least to go through the form of reviewing their recommendations. In any other course the Council would but stultify itself, and virtually declare its Dast action to be that either of children or imbecilt a. The vote of the Council on Thursday last may be and probably is regarded as a triumph — the effectual shelving of an unpleasant question — but such as are disposed thus to congratulate themselves have far more rea?on to believe that the matter will again crop up, and force itself into attention at a season at which it will not be so easily disposed of. The principles upon which the report by the Wards Committee is based, and the division of the town into wards recommended, are these : Ist, revenue derivable from each block ; 2nd, division in its territorial aspects ; and 3rd, the affirmation of the principle of the avoidance of collision ot interests in the framing of the boundaries of the proposed wards. These three principles comprise all that is necessary to bo had in view, and acted upon by persons of intelligence in order to ensure a fair division of a municipal district. The proposed division evidences that the Committee has brought to its duty an ability to discern and a disposition to act with the view to secure to the town an equitable adjustment of the responsibilities and privileges of government. The report proposes to divide the town into four wards asj

follows : — No. 1 "Ward, bounded on the east by Kelvin street, on the west by Leven-street, on the north by Galastreet, and on the south by Esk- street, its rateable value being £5,327. No. 2, on the east by Doon-street, on the west | by Kelvin-street, on the north by Gfalastreet, and on the south by Esk-streefc, rated at £2,217. No. 3, on the north by Esk-street, pn the south by Forth-street,! on the east by Doon-street, and on the west by Leven-street, returning rates' to the amount of £4 775. No. 4, north by Forth-street, south by Biggar-street, east by Ness-street, and west by the estuary, entered in the rate book for £1,527. "We do not contend for this division as the best that could have been made, although we do not hold it open to much objection, neither is its perfection as proposed a matter of material consequence, because any modification could have been adopted when the matter was under consideration, but we complain of the very harsh and uncourteous treatment adopted, not merely to the Councillors composing the Wards Committee, but to a very large section of the inhabitants whose views they represent. If the advocates of the cumulative vote are so thoroughly satisfied of the soundness of the principle, and of ■' their own past action in the Council constituted under it as they profess to be, they need surely have been under no feeling of alarm at the allowance of a month for the ventilation of a project which they were assured was contrary to the general feeling of the ratepayers, and therefore could not be carried. On the other hand the resolute stand by a section of the Council against the discussion of a proposal SO reasonable, appears to argue a feeling of insecurity as to their own position. There is evidently on the part of the opponents of the Wards proposal an unpardonable ignorance of the state of public feeling in reference thereto, or a want of candor in expression, because the fact is notorious that the feeling in favor of the division of the Municipality into Wards is widely extended. While for the reasons above given, we disapprove of the action of the Council in the rejection of the report, we would express ourselves still more strongly as to that of His Worship the Mayor on that occasion, in condescending first to assume the part of a special pleader, and then by his casting vote to consummate the discourtesy of the Council to the Wards Committee and the ratepayers. His Worship has probably by thia time concluded that his vote was both ill-advised and in bad taste. If we admit (which we do not) that those who desire the ward system are in the minority, His Worship will remember that upon past occasions he has advocated the principle of respecting minorities', and if he were so certain aa he assumes to be, that the feeling against, the ward system is general, an act of grace might surely have been performed in order that the extent of (or non-existence of) the desm might have been arrived at with some degree of certainty. His Worship's arguments against the ward system were very adroitly turned by Councillor Blackwood as showing conclusively in favor of it, and the balance of argument must be held to be on the side of the Committee. Whatever may be the opinion on the question of the cumulative vote, as there is no rule without an exception, if even the principle were affirmed, the wiae course might be to make our own case the exception. It will be remembered that one of the speakers at the late Municipal elections referred to the fact that notwithstanding the expenditure which had been made, " the original rushes were still growing in Dee-street," and as it was then, it is now, a state of matters in the midst of our improvements by no means creditable, and one which could not have existed under the ward system. To reason with the Council as at present constituted is simply waste of time, and the ratepayers if they wish to be effectually represented must take the matter into their own hands. While upon matters Municipal we may as well once for all refer to the action of His Worship the Mayor in reference to the crescent. There is probably no person in the community who has laid more Btress than himself upon the right of the people to be consulted on all matters affecting their wellbeing, or who has more strenuously insisted on the duty of a ruler to act in accordance with his Executive, yet what j are the facts of the case ? We find that j in consequence of His Worship's dissent from the resolution of the Council in the matter of Tay- street extension, the resolution has been disallowed, and the extension will be carried out by the perpetration of the crescent abortion, j unless in the meantime the inhabitants arouse themselves, and by a stronglyworded remonstrance by memorial prevent it. We have always had a certain amount of suspicion of very tall patriotism, believing that the patriot in general wanted but the opportunity to develope himself into a tyrant.