THE BOROUGH QUESTION. MR. W. A. MURRAY'S ADDRESS.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 283, 21 July 1888, Page 2

THE BOROUGH QUESTION. MR. W. A. MURRAY'S ADDRESS.

Or* Tuesday 'evening last Mr W. A. Murray delivered afi address in the Waiorohgomai Public Hall on Local Government in which he touched on the Borough question. Mr Jas. Munro presided, and there was a large and representative attendance of Waiorongo mai residents and ratopayeis, also several from Te Avoha. 3\Tr Murray, in the course of Ing opening remarks, said there must have been some mistake in annbun'ciug him -to give an address on the question of the advisability of To Arolia and Wniovongomai being formed into a Borough, as he had not intended to take up that matter at all, but to comply with a promise he had made to give ail address on the public affairs ofthe colony generally. On Monday, the provions day,hoieceived a telegram at Morrinsville, asking him to "speak at Waiorongoruai on Tuesday evening, and it was not until he reached Te Aroha that lie was informed he was expected to give his views on the Borough question. He said he was not prepared. He thought that the people here should best understand their Own requirements, and that there were others present who could produce facts and figures, as to the liability which would be involved, and as to the advantages and disadvantages which might result from the proposed Borough. It was for those immediately concerned to consider whether theformation of a Borough, to include thegoldfield and County tramway, would not involve them in an enormous amount of liability. There appeared to bo at present a considerable amount of misapprehension on the subject; and the matter was so serious that he would advise them make careful enquiry into the question, and follow the advipe of the town clerk of Ephesus, and " do nothing rashly." Pie thought the matter should be more fully gone into, and that those who took opposite views with respect to the question of liability, etc., should reduce their views to writing, to be ventilated through the £iess. Theic Was one thing, however, of paramount importance and common interest to both townships, and that was the great and permanent injury infhVted by all the land for miles around being entailed and locked up in the hands of Native trusts or as Thames High School Endowment, the latter body was supposed to supply higher class education at the Thames, 40 miles distant, while here they showed their disregard for their duties as land owners, and for primary education for the children of those persons who had remained here through all the trials and difficulties of the place, that they would not even give a small sum to improve the pathways to enable those children to attend without ex treme discomfort, the primary school of the place, (cheers). It was absurd to suppose that people left their home and travelled 16,000 miles to be the teuants of such land owners. Let the Government resume all these lands, and regarclhg existing interests pay reasonable value for these in Government four per cent Tieasury. debentuics, which could be held for the purposes of the tiust, and the lands opened for peimanent settlement in suitable areas of moderate size. This would doublles- result mti large measure of increased prospe lty in the district. "With regard to local government he went upon the broad pnnciple that every individual should have the utino-t freedom to manage his own attains that was con-distant with the rights of others. Mnnj individuals combining with mutual interests foim a com munity ; it may be called a township 01 highway district, these again to have as much uiternal independence and contioi of its own affairs, as was consistent with the rights of other district«,and that at their yearly meetings they should elect from among themselves their chairman, who would be also their representative in the County Council. One esfcentia feat me to the success of local government, was that by means of annual elections and otherwise, the r.itepaycis should have a dncct and effective coutiol over the late-spenleis A laiger body might consist of the chahmen of Counties, who w ould lorni a Provincial District Council to adjust matteis between Counties and Counties, the same as County Councils would adjust matters and differences between highway distiict and highway district. They would be endowed with all taxations, from land, etc., and the general government should hot be permitted to laise one penny more taxation than was lequired for pmely general government purposes, as they had done in the past, distributing to the local govern*ments as subsidies and bribes, a yearly diminishing quantity, destroying the in-, dependence of local governments and reducing them to the position of servile pensioners of centralism. These bodies would have to provide the buildings for educational and Government purposes, and we may rest assured that with this safe guard enforced in the past, a vast wasteful expenditure would have been avoided. The general Government thus •ficed from local questions which it has shown ' itself utterly incapable to undei stand or treat satisfactorily, would then confine its duties to legitimate questions of legislation and colonial importance. The cost and machinery of centralism could thus be l.ugely xeduced. The House might consist of 50 members. The so-called Upper House would cease to be a refuge for the destitute, and called the Senate would consist of 25 membeis, one fifth* letiring yearly, whose places would be filled on the first day of each Session by both Houses sitting t and voting together to elect members retiring, or whose seats had been vacated by death or any other cause. While the local bodies would not rcquiie to go to Wellington for everything and would be free to dot their " i's " and stroke their " t's " without peimission from the Goveinor in Council. This was one ofthe planks in his proposed policy. Keform must be one of principle rather than detail, and our ■\vatchcry must be Refoum and Betkenchmext. But as the question to-night was more especially to consider about the Borough, he would not trespass upon their time in entering upon the whole question of public policy, as another opportunity would probably soon occur of dealing more exhaustively with this subject, which to us all was one of vital importance. If a Borough were formed, it was a question for them to consider whether it would be best to exclude the goldfiield at present, owing to the liability attached, Or not. In his opinion at no very distant date they would have a better form of local government. Mr Murray, after speaking for about half art-hour, resumed his seat amidst applause. The Chairman said he thought there was no one present who could peihaps better give them facts and figures affecting the Borough question than Mr Ilotfe, and he would now call upon him to address them and give them facts and figures for the benefit of the meeting and the community at large 1 . Mr Ilott said he regretted ho could not fully lay before them facts and figuies as asked for that night ; for whilst he knew pretty well about what the income and expenditure of the Aroha "Riding 1-iad. been for some years past, still he wished to have figures officially beforo quoting them, and some of the official returns ho should not receive till Thursday, lie was prepared to say these figures would have a material bearing, 6n the question. They had Mr Mills, a member of the Piako County Council and chief mover in this agitation for a Borough pidselit — surely he could give a statement of their indebtedness to that body. Mr Mills then lose. He said he had no fr'osh figures to lay before them beyond those giveu at the meeting in Te Arohai From the County Clerk, Mr Tuck, he had ascertained

ihat the sura of £7200 had been charged against the Hiding s o» account of the tramway. He thought this Work land been done from f-clfish motives on the part of some of the councillors Who had land in the neighbourhood, they knowing that it would increase the value of. their property, and because this tiarnway was not paying soon 'enough they waniel to charge the whole am'oimt against tlie Hiding. It appeared to him Paift o County Council were inclined to enjoy the music ■whilst we j^ay the piper, in answer to eoinc questions, Mr Mills said the lasb late levied in the Te Aroha riding amounted to £277, of which there wf>s only £C 0 owing. Mr Ilott asked the amount of money spent on load work, etc., in Te Aroha Eiding by the Piako County Council dming the present year. Mr Mills staled the amount to be £112. Mr Ilott said it was not so, and produced Cguies copied from the books 'of the Piako County Council which showed that the money expended and authorised by them within the last couple of months amounted to over £190. ; A warm discussion then took place between ; Mr Ilott and Mr Mills with reference to the amount of debt the Borough would take over if formed. Mr Ilott pressed Mr Mills, as he was the chief mover for the formal ion of a Borough, to give an approximate estimate of the debt, which, in his opinion, would have have to be taken ovei\ Surely Mr Mills could give some sort of estimate, within a thousand or two anyhow. (Laughter.) Mr Mill's intim&teii that he could not biing forward any such statement at present. Mr Ilott then asked the Chairman, as a member of the commutes who had taken it upon themselves to endeavour to have a Boxough formed, to supply the information ; but Mr Munro said he must refrain in his capacity as chairman to answer some of the ! questions put to him. I At this stage of the proceedings Mr D. E. Clerk said if the Chairman refused to answer a question of this sort ho should move that he vacate the chair, to which Mr Munro consented and Mi D. E. Cleric was promptly voted to the position. The new Chairman then asked Mr MunrO to now afford the information asked for. Mi* Munro said he wished to refer to the action of: the t Piako County Council in constructing the tramway. They had placed the Riding in debt by the work, and by exceeding the amount of the funds on hand they had acted illegally. lie thought the Borough question should be decided without delay. Mr Smardon iose to 'object to such a speedy settlement of the question. He thought it was premature. Mr Ilott drew attention to the manner in which the List meeting sit Waiorongomai had been conducted ; which was tantamount to Messrs Mills and Munio electing themselves a committee on their own responsibility to act on behalf of the ratepayers with lefeienceto the fixings of the boundaries, etc. He ass ited those present that he had fully determiner! not to have interfered with respect to the Boiough question this time, and would not have done so now only that A position i'oi the formation of a Borough had been recently taken round for si<;natuie, without even the piopos-rl boundaiics being announced or submitted for appioval fit a public meeting ; as it had been stated at the meeting- at Te Aroha would be done. The people were expected to si^n first and to be told .if tcnvurdb wh.it they had signed. j Mr Mills loudly inteiposO'ljUikiiig exception to the ch.irge ot having with Mr Mnnio, elected themsol\<_b a committee oil their own lesponsibdiU- He conte idod that they had been pioperly elected at d public nieet'ug. In leply to tho statement of Mr M'inro req.u (lint* the debt on the tramway, Mr Ilott said no blame should be attached to the Piako County Council for having personally made themselves liable to be sued for an illegally l<uge overdiaft, in endeavoming to complete the uoik they had undei taken, tho County tr.unway. He would nsk Mr Mdl& to inform the meeting what (lie outstanding liability of the County Council was at the end of the la?. I financial year ; not taking account of loans. Mi Mills lopliod all he knew of was tho ovei draft, somu- J52040. Mr Ilott at some length reCerred to all the Piako County Council had done for Te Aroha Gold field, and wiid he was prepaied 'to prove they had all along expended far more in the Te Aroha Hiding, than they leceived fioni it, weic doing sd still, were deserving of the best thanks of every one inteicstod in the district; and he generally warmly defended the Council aeaiiist the attacks made upon them by those 5.0 anxious for this proposed Borough, lie said that as a matter of fact the -Council were even now spending more in the Hiding than they received from it, and asked, could a Boiough do more than this '? He felt sure there \v;ib not one present that would object to contiibute towaids any preliminary expenses in Order that t'hrj matter might be, as it should be, fully gone into, and it necessary the best legal opinion obtained on the subject ; surely it w,is of sufficient importance to warrant this trouble being taken. Here they bad the" spectacle of Mr Mills, a member of the Council and chief Boiough agitato r$ and Mr Munro, a member of the Borough committee and chairman of that meeting) neither of whom apparently could give much information as to the real position of the County finances ; although they did not for a moment hesitate to urge upon 1 the people to form a Borough) which was to do great things for them. He thought it was about time for these gentlemen to suspend tho Borough agitation until they had made themselves better acquainted with the subject in all its bearings. It was quite apparent the majority of; those present, together with Mr Murray} were in fivour of the question being more thoroughly ventilated before any definito step was taken. The best means o£bringing this about was discussed ?it some length, and it was ultimately decided that the most feasible plan would be for a committee to be appointed to represent those holding opposite views on the 1 question, who should meet and discuss thd matter and then put their views forward in writing which could afterwards be 1 circulated through the medium of tho Press, Mr Smardon said that at the last — eo-ealled — public meeting held ut Waiorongomai to discuss this question there were only twelve or thirteen persons piescnt, only some of whom were iatep.iycrs, and they took it upon themselves to speak for all Waiorongomai. In his opinion it was premature to seek to form a Borough. Mr E. Y. Cox moved," Thai the question of the formation of a Borough be held over for six months," in order that tho matter might be thoroughly discussed. Mr Sampson seconded the motion. Irt doing so he said they ought not to be tod