THE WARD QUESTION.

Temuka Leader, Volume 2, Issue 113, 15 January 1879, Page 2

THE WARD QUESTION.

The following report of the discussion on this question at the annual meeting of ratepayers at Tcmnka district will be read with interest by those residents in the district who were not present at the meeting, but who would like to know what was said pro and con on the subject. We were unable to present this report sooner, but “ better late than never/’ especially as the question is to be still further discussed. It will be remembered that Dr ■ Raynor occupied the chair. Mr BAD HAM : Mr Chairman, what course of action should the ratepayers take to get the district divided into wards ? The CHAIRMAN : That is a question that should he brought before the Board. Air BADHAM : I brought it before t/ie Board, but they said it ought to be brought before the annua! meeting. The CHAIRMAN ; Is the. division at all necessary 1 Your members arc so distributed as" to give every part of the district equal advantages with the rest. Mr BADHAM ; I do not speak because I am not myself elected to-day. But we in the Rangitata district are supposed to

have a member, one who would look after our part of the district, hut we have not. In any election we are jihvars out-voted. The voting should be separate in the different districts, and then each district could return a local member. Mr BROWN : I "would like to ask tbe late Chairman of the Hoard his reason for not dividing the district into wards, lie knows there is a strong feeling in favour of it. Mr TALBOT : I do not know that there is a strong feeling for dividing the district. It may be so in a particular locality. I think it, rests with the ratepayers of such a locality to get up a petition to the proper authorities. The Board cannot divide the district on their own authority. I am not aware that there is a general wish to have the district divided, but if such is the case I should be very glad to see it done. If any part of the district feels aggrieved they can take steps to procure the division. Mr BADHAAI : I wish to test the feeling of this meeting on the cpiestion, and therefore will move, “ That this meeting desires the members of the Road Board to consider the advisability of dividing the district into "wards, and to take such isteps as the Act determines for carrying ont the same,” so that each district may-, return its own member. Mr A. EDGAR seconded the motion. Mr FRANKS : I Rink that the Board have already declined to act upon the suggestions of public meetings of ratepayers held in Teinuka. Mr BARKER ; If the Board did notact upon such suggestions they certainly always fairly considered them. Mr HAYHURST : I quite agree with the resolution, and only wish it had gone further and proposed to make Teinuka a municipality. The town will never become of any importance whatever so long as it is part and parcel of the road district. I do not think anyone here can call to mind any town that has ever risen to any magnitude under such circumstances. Teinuka feels aggrieved because it does not get that proportion of the district funds to which it thinks itself entitled. I think, as the representative of the Teinuka ward —as I may call it—that it gets an ample" share. There are some who seem to think that the tovm has very narrow limits. The work on the Arowhenna Creek has been mentioned. This was really a town work. It was clamoured for by the townspeople, and the Board was obliged to have it done in accordance with the recommendations of the health ofth-er and the representations of the townspeople. And now we are told that it is not a town work, and the Board is taken to task for the expenditure. A large sura of money has also been spent upon drainage works in Vine street, close upon LSOO. (A Voice : Where is it ?) and this expenditure has not given satisfaction. All this came out of the fends of the whole district. I think if the town were made a municipality, and had the management of its own works, these might be done cheaper and more satisfactorily. Complaints are heard of the state of the streets, and particularly of the side channels. Now it is the business of the Roar! Board to make roads and not to do scavenging. The townspeople themsslves are chiefly to blame in this matter, for they cut down the side walks to make roads into their back premises, and so stop the side channels. I have seen several such cases. They also sweep all their refuse into them, and expect the Road Board to keep them clean. If the Temuka people want such work done they must form themselves into a municipality and I hope that they will see their way clear to do so. I quite agree with Mr Badhaui’s resolution, ns it will give ns a chance to elect men out of every centre, and it can do no harm. I may say that as to the election to-day we were obliged to elect one another. I kept out of rhe way until the last moment, wishing that' someone else would take my place, and I am quite willing to resign now to give place to any other person that the ratepayers desire to elect. Mr Wood has criticised the expenditure on the mad and bridges at Milford. Tne expenditure wasmmii larger than ivas anticipated, but the Board is not composed of engineers, and they are guided by their engineer’s recommendations. I may say that I demurred to it, and opposed it from first to last. Mr BARKER : You were not opposed" to opening up the road. The CHAIRMAN here pointed out that Mr Hayhurst was wandering from: the subject of the resolution. Mr HAYHURST: I asked for a small thing and there was a large thing given. Perhaps if the district had been in wards the people would have taken more interest in the work. Tins road would have extended into another ward, so that there would have been conjoint efforts m-''de by the members of adjacent wards if the work was thought desirable. This road is part, and parcel of a main trunk line, and will, if carried out, extend into another county. So the ratepayers must not run away with the idea (as asserted by Mr Wood), that this road was made to open up 20 acres of land only. Mr QUINN : I quite endorse the resolution, and agree with Mr Badham that the division into wards would permit of a Vetter representation of the different parts of the district. I cannot be said t > have represented the Rangitata district for the last three fyears as I have- not lived there during tint time. I did not suppose that as a member of the Bo >.rd I represented any particular district at all. Yet as I used to represent the Rangitata I presume I do so still. I quite agree that to represent any district fairly one should have an interest in it. A member cannot be expected to go to a distance to look at any work. Hitherto the Hoard has worked well together, as one man, and every member has given attention to matters affecting the further districts, but I am quite of opinion that the district should be divided into wards. Mr TALBOT: As far as I am concerned in this matter I have rather a steeling against it. I think we should first see how much c.iscontent really exists with the present arrangement. We have worked a long time under the present system, and if we can continue to work harmoniously under it I do not see why ive should seek to alter it. Mr Badham speaks of the Rangitata not having a member, but, if this die only reason that can be given for dividing the district, viz., merely to give the Rangitata a representative, it is not a sufficient reason. For that district has not on this occasion taken care even to have a representative nominated to-day. I believe that if the district wore divided into

wards, cadi member would consider only his own ward, and complications and difficulties would hence arise.: (No, no.) With reference to u hat Mr ' Hayhurst has said about Temuka, I endorse his remarks to a considerable extent. Tue Road Board’s duties properly extend only to road making, but centres of population comprised in road districts, have to lock to the Board for help, and. in this Bght a good deal of work in Temuka has been gone into. It is said that the money spent in Vine-street has been uselessly spent. I think the; money has been well spent. It has opened up a drainage for Temuka, and lias: taken away a lot of stagnant pools.: The Board have always shown themselvqja willing to accede to the wishes townspeople, and to carry out really necessary works, whether the amount of rates raised in the town entitled them to: the works or not. Mr BARKER ; I think that if the resolution were passed and laid before the Board, the ordy step they could pursue would be to call a public meeting, and I think they would elect not to call a public meeting. I think it would be better to frame a resolution demanding the meeting, and so ensure its being held. I beg to move as an amendment, ‘‘That Se Road Board be requested to call a blic meeting to consider the question of yiding the district into wards.” 'Mr ENSOR seconded the amendment. Mr BADHAM : If that amendment is carried we shall be doing- a useless work if the public would prefer leaving the matter altogether in the hands of the Board. But if the amendment is carried; the Board ought to be bound to follow the opinion of the meeting so called. Mr BARKER; Oh, no. Tne Board could not be bound to do so. Mr FRANKS : I think that the amendment is preferable to the resolution, because the bulk of the ratepayers are not; aware that the matter is being discussed now. We bad no idea that such a topgn would be discussed. To consult tin ratepayers as a body would certainly b» ■the proper course. After all, the opinion of a public meeting could only bt a suggestion to the Road Board, but it would have weight one way or the other. It would be far better for the Board to continue as at present, but if any outlying districts feel agrieved, they ought to be heard. As far as 1 can learn tney, have no cause to complain. Mr WAKEING : If we had a resident! member for each district the roads on the] other side the" Orari and near Dunn’sj Creek would have been better looked s after than they have been. They have | been in a bad state for some mouths, j such neglect of portions of the district is J a good argument for dividing into "wards, i Air GRAY. As the outside districts; are well represented at this meeting, II think the expression of the opinion of : this meeting would fairly represent the; feeling of the whole district. Up to the; present time the Board has worked very : fairly for every part of the district, and* I ! do not believe that any member can be ac- : cased of doing more for one part than for another. If the district is to lie divided into wards the recommendation should ; come from the ratepayers themselves, and ; it is very unfortunate that Air BadhanTs ; friends arrived too late to nominate him \ to-day. lam sure he would have been j supported in Temuka, as we have no wish to deprive the Rangitata of a | tivo. With regard to the matu*£s \ discussion, I think an of opinion sjhould be taken from | meeting. ' If this would not be satis- ii factory, a public meeling should be is called to consider it. Up to the present P time, if the outlying districts have had is any cause for complaint, it must have J| been through the matter not having been s brought before the Board. Any deputation has generally had its requests for works of any kind promptly acceded to. Air QUINN : If the ratepayers of the Rangitata call upon me to resign to give place to a resident in the district, I shall do so at once. But I must say that L never hoard any ratepayer make a request", for a work to be done that was not most patiently listened to by the whole Board. < On the other hand, I have no doubt that a resident would represent the wants of . • the district to the Board better than I, or anyone else living in Temuka, could do. Air BARKER : I would prefer that the district be divided into wards, as it would - render the erecting- of Temuka into a . municipality unnecessary. The Chairman now put the motions- - to the meeting, when thirteen hands were * held up for the amendment, and eleven^ 1 for the resolution. Mr Barker’s ment, requesting the Board tffcall a public meeting to discuss was therefore carried. Mr HAYHURST : (;;M e r other matters had been discussed f ov a short time)'' I, should like to speak a little further on this present election. I understood when I was elected that I was supposed to. serve for the town of Temuka, but now I am t')!d that another gentleman is elected for the town. lam quite willing to resign. and after this day’s work on the Board is completed I shall tender my resignation, and that will give the Rangitata an opportunity to put in a local man. Air QUINN : I was nominated by country men, not by town men. Air TAVENDER ; I nominated you for Temuka. Air TALBOT deprecated Air Hayhurst’s talking of resigning in that way. Everyone was satisfied with his conduct as a member. (Hear, hear.) Air BROWN : As the election lias notbeen contested we had better consider that each member represents the same constituency as- before. That ought in common sense to be the understanding.

incapable of deciding 1 when a prim a facie case is or is not made out against an accused person ? Is it the Grand Jury, who return true bills upon insufficient grounds, in order that the petty juries shall not escape scot free ? Or is it the potty juries themselves whose heads and hearts are alike too soft 1 We cannot tell ; but there is evidently a screw loose somewhere. It is little better than a farce to go through the routine of prosecution and defence, with case after case, only at length to araive at the stereotyped verdict if “Not Guilty.” As matters stand, we sincerely sympathise with those gentleman who were weak enough or ill-advised enough to plead “ Guilty” at the present session to the charges brought against them. Had they stuck out manfully and put a bold front on the matter the number of sentences passed by Mr Justice Williams would doubtless have been fewer than they were.