MASTERTON DEBATING SOCIETY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1003, 18 February 1882, Page 2

MASTERTON DEBATING SOCIETY.

The usual weekly meeting of the above Society wa&held last evening, Mr Grundy the President, being in the chair. Mr Redman proposed that a portion of tile Society's funds should be sot apart for essays, but a general opinion was expressed that surplus receipts should be given to the Library for the purchase of new books provided that the Library Committee subsidised the grant and permitted the Society to select books. It wag however decided to discuss (ho question on ut notice of motion at tho next meeting. After some preliminary business had been disposed of Bnd Mr Park had acknowledged a vote of thanks accorded to him for his late essay, a debate was taken on the following subject:—" Are Mr Park's local government proposals preferable to existing arrangements." Affirmative-Mr Park; negative —Mr McGregor.

Mr Park in opening the debate argued that the present system of electing members of local bodies under the property vote were very unsatisfactory and affirmed that the delegate principle of elections was the remedy for.thls state of things, and that under it local government machinery would run more smoothly. He said the County system was doomed, It might be urged under the delegate system that good men could not attend both road board meetings and. general road board meetings', but if they could not find time for the latter.they .were the best-judges of "who were the proper men to fill the offices. ,;He did not approve of Major Atkinson'B Road Construction Bill, but would clinch with his offer to supply jocal bodies withhmdß... ' ' " :

Mi M'dtegdr tlie Society X in selecting a sobjeot of bo muoh interest T ; for disouseidn, He pointed out that all oar!; local institutions were new, and sometime' wasi rlacessavy before we .could prove which of them exactly suited ua. Th& reason why Boards and Counties did not work harmoniously .together was because their respective ifthctions were not dearly defined by-law;' He considered that we were suffering from too muoh government and tha'ii,there.was a mul« tiplioity: of small governing bodies, wbiflli required to be got rid of. Eoad Boavds for example, might have! boen useful iii the past but it did not follow that they would be necessary in ' the future, The Counties Act gave counties all the power whioh the Highway Boards possessed, and a great deal more besides. He advocated doing away' with Road Boards, and substituting for them a North and South Wairarapa County, corresponding to the existing electoral,divisions., On two suoh Counties responsibility, colild be fixed. He. asserted that muoh road work constructed by smaller Boardsr\ was of a temporary and ) unsatisfactory character. A larger body by doing it well could do it more economically. He denounced Major Atkinson's Road Construction Bill. The formalities necessary to be gone through under it to raise a few pounds for a bridge were overwhelming, and he was certain that in practice tha scheme would collapse. He opposed a dual rate, and claimed that the Government should not be relieved of their obligations to contribute towards local bodies. If they were they would.have money to spare, whioh they would throw away on political railways or steam linos to Europe, Local bodies were not, in the present circumstances of New Zealand, in a position to become self-reliant, That tha Government could find money for them was shewn last year, when, in spite of a reduction of the property tax, a ten shilling subsidy was paid. Roads and bridges as a means of settling waste lauds wore a first consideration in Hew Zealand. Mr Payton pointed . out that Mr McGregor, instead of shewing that Mr Parkes proposals were not preferable to existing arrangements, had endeavored to prove that his own were better than Mr . Parks'. As far as the debate went they were already off their legs, and as Mr Park in his opening address had given them material for four separate discussions, he was afraid that they would not be able to do justice to them that even-

Mr Hogg agreed that too wide s field had been covered and would have been glad to see the discussion confined to the consideration of the delegate principle advocated by Mr Park. This principle ' was recognised in New Zealand in the election of Harbor and Education Boards. He quoted from an essay written by Professor Newman to show that English institutions might be re-organised under it. Such a question was a weighty one, which required serious consideration, The practical issue whether Counties should rub out Road Boards or Road Boards rub out Counties was one which would have to be.dealt with by Parliament, He condemned County engineering and County finance. The multiplicity of local bodies was no reason why they should be underrated, and if, under Mr MoGregor's propoßal, they were abolished, the interests of small settlers would be merged in some magnificent work such as a road to tome station property. Mr R. Brown condemned local Acts. They were drawn up as it were by lawyers for lawyers. They would not, in his opinion, get good local Belf-governmojnt until the whole of the local bodies unitoi in calling the attention of Parliament lo- ~y thoir real requirements. He condemned the existing system of valuation as being framed on a fluctuating basis and ridiculed the idea of the same work being done twice over by local bodies and the property tax department, Improvements to properties should not be valued. He did not believe in local bodies having power to levy more than a shilling rate. If they went beyond this they Bhould do so by means of a special rate. Mr Chapman said the County squandered money, He had .done £250 worth of work at Hurinuiorangi whjoh had been washed away, and he propheoied that either the new Waipoua bridge would go down the river or Bacon & Wrigley would bo flooded out by it. (Laughter). Mr Redman said the delegate principle of election waß in use in the old Saxon Parliaments. He was not in favor of its general adoption as it would deprive people of their franohiso, but he thought a mixed system in which the delegate principle might be a feature would be the best one. Mr Park having replied, the Question X. raised by him in the debate was carried in his favor on the voices.

Prior to the meeting breaking up the resignation of Mr Jameß Brown as secretary, was handed in and accepted, a vote of thanks being aocprdqd ;to- hjm fpr his, past services. ' Mr Redman consented to act pro tern, till the Society secured a permanent officer, ' '