THE OPAKI COUNTY MEETING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 927, 17 November 1881, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE OPAKI COUNTY MEETING.

[To the Editor of the Daily.| Sir —lt haa been rightly uiitl tlim " Truth it stronger than fiction." When I went to tlio Opaki mooting lust I little thought tlmt T hlidii'il lie fmiiul claiming credit fur Sir George Grey fur« great public v.-pik, anu Mr. Kennll withholding it from liiiu. The ('"rer-of Sir (ieorgo Grey as a politician is eoiicrully allowed to have been h treat failure, mid the return of ■ his party to power would be n great public calamity, but I maintain, in.oppusition to Mr. lieiinll, that to him (Sir George) is duo tlio credit of the formation of the main portion of tlio road over tlio Rimutnka, ami before lVovim-wl Governments weio ill existence. Mo doulit the completion of part of the road at this end, and its continuance in this district, was afterwards carried on by the Provincial Government, and that, too, at a very oxjiensive rate, for the Provincial authowho wero at that timo tlio political associates of jtir I'enall—as ho has very candidly told us—spent a good deal of the money in electioneering. It would be much better if, at our oolitical discussions, Mr lienall would meet argument by aryument, instead of deluding himself with the idea that, when worsted on any point, he can inllueneo or deceive his hoarera by. tlio strength with which lie can vociferate" I'm right, ' and you're wrong."

We all ngreo with Mr Benall that this country is over-governed and law-ridden, but the remedy which he proposes is certainly an extraordinary one. Ho claims for County Councils large legislative powers, Now, there are about eighty Counties. Lot us suppose them reduced by amalgamation to sixty, and endowed with legislative power —each of these sixty County-Parliaments to have twenty members, as Mr. Renall proposes. This will giyo us 1,200 law-makers for tliol Counties, besides 90 in the Houso of Representatives and nearly 50 in the Legislative Council—which Council, 1 would remark, is not at all likely to bo abolished,' though its constitution may havo to undergo an important reform. And what precious samples in the shape of laws would be turned out uf these workshops these petty County-Parlia-ments. It would require specially-trained lawyers from Philadelphia to try to expound them. If Mr lienall's proposals should be carried out, the country would soon bo in as great danger of ueing over-run with legislation a? with rabbits. Of lha two evils this host of legislators might perhaus prove the worst, for, by labour and outlay rabbits eitu be reduced, but we might be compelled to put up with the other until the law allowed of their reductioi by the same kind of process as th rabbits.—Yours, itc., J. V.UENTINK SIIHU