THE GERALDINE COUNTY COUNCIL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1179, 27 November 1883, Page 3

THE GERALDINE COUNTY COUNCIL.

TO THE EDITOK. g IB __A. petition is going round, at the instance of the Levels District, to abolish the County Council for the reason that two rating bodies in a County are not necessary. I would istrongly advise all ratepayers to pause! before they sign it, and say to themselves, Does the County Council interfere with the functions of the Road Boards ?~Are they not rather a help to v.i; the Road Boards in enabling works to be carried out*in the County, which in

all probability would never be done but for the County Council? Can Road ? Boards afford out of their limited i funds to erect or maintain the bridges of the County ? No, certainly not. If they do they have no money for making roads to enable farmers to get their corn sto market. Would the Opihi bridge between Timaru and Temuka ever have been built but for the Geraldine County Council? The cost of the same, if I remember right, was nearly six thousand pounds. In the Levels district there are other bridges equally needed ; for instance, one over the Opihi leading to Raincliff, Other bridges require to be repaired. Can the Levels Road Board afford to keep up these bridges ? If not, the farmers will have to return to the old custom of crossing the shingle beds, and probably wetting their corn and keeping more horses for their work. The district will be thrown back twenty years, and all for what ? Because the Levels Road Board have to pay their proportion towards repairing the Rangitata traffic bridge. If the Road Boards strike a Is rate, that is as much as that or any district can afford for roads in one year; but if the County strike a small rate of say one half-penny in the £, it is more than enough to keep up all the bridges and relieve the Road Boards of that burden. Again, a County can take water for irrigation purposes from one end of the County to the other. No Road Board can do any work outside its district, and if the Counties Act is not in force these valuable works will not be carried out. To mike the County prosperous and flourishing is for all to work with a will. What would the Ashburton County be but for the enterprise and foresight of such men as E. G. Wright, Esq., M.H.R.? / It is men like hiim that stamp a County V and make it the admiration of all by its ' great works. I have felt, as Chairman of the County, the great loss on the * Board of snch men as the late J. Mendelson, E-fq.. and E, Acton, Esq., both men of great thought, indomitable perseverence and great enterprise. The Levels ratepayers never made a greater mistake then when they did not return .E. Acton, Esq., as head of the poll. I felt his great loss on the Council Board mere than I can tell. -Pause, gentlemen,before you sign the petition going round for your signature. I for one ;, Jiave a great stake in the County. I wish to see it prosperous and flourishing, and what is your interest is my interest, and I feel sure if the Act is suspended we shall be all considerable losers by the retrograde step yon are taking, Bridges will get out of repair ; no money from any source to get them 1 repaired ; up new bridges built. A camper like a great cloud will hang over us all, and what I said before I say again, pau*e before you sign this petition ; reflect on the consequences of haring no means to repair bridges and construct water-works on your dry plains.—l am, etc., C. G. Tnirr, - Oraii Gorge, 26th November, 1882.