The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, MAY 10, 1882. LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1078, 19 May 1882, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, MAY 10, 1882. LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

"The Government after careful inquiry," writes Major Atkinson in his circular," are satisfied that there are some districts which desire the dual governments of Counties and Road' Boards and others which wish • only the government of one or other of these bodies." This, as a simple statement of fact, is an assertion which is beyond dispute. It furnishes the real basis on which any alteration in the laws under which our local self-government is at present conducted must be effected. Some people ignoring the inexorable logic of facts, urge that either Road Boards or Counties should be abolished, and when it is shewn that it is impracticable to do away with Road Boards, they say abolish Counties, or if it be demonstrated that Counties are essentially necessary to the welfare of the colony, they merely travel round in a circle and say do away with Road Boards. We have always contended that the dual government which is so strongly objected to is a practical necessity at this stage in the history and development of the colony, and we are glad to see that Major Atkinson has arrived at the same conclusion. Road Boards, as everybody knows who is familiar with their working, cope with an immense variety of minor interests which from want of local knowledge and from want of time and opportunity, no County Council could do justice to, Counties on the other hand have the necessary leisure to arrange larger works beyond the scope of Road Boards. In some instances it is easy for a County to take the place of Road Boards. Take for example an old settled district like the Hutt County, where scarcely any new roads require to be made, where almost every settler has access to his land. In such a district a County could very easily do all that is required to be done without ! the assistance of Road Boards. But the same could not be said of a district like the Wairarapa where the work of one Highway Board is heavier than that of the whole of the Hutt County.' Again, on the other hand, Road Boards cannot do without Counties. It is well known that our local Highway Boards have quite as much on their hands as they cave to undertake, and they do not choose to have the responsibility of the main line with its heavy bridges thrown upon their shoulders. It would also be very difficult to persuade any one of them ; to accept the charge of an outlying district like the Forty-Mile Bush, So ; long as Counties are useful, and so : long as' Road Boards are useful it would be folly for the sake of theoreti- ■ cal unformity to do away with either. ! We can understand a man like Major. , Atkinson saying " how happy could I , be with either, were the other dear I

chairman away," or perhaps Sir George Grey, like the Roman Emperor, desiring that thoy might all have one neck—but the grawtli of our institutions must not be checked to please politicians, Comparatively fewmistakes have yet been made since tho abolition of Provincialism, because time and room has been given "to our local institutions to adapt themselves to local requirements. At present we do nr-t want any pulling down and build-: ing up again, but simply an adjustment, where different parts of tho machine fit badly;

MrU. II Corbett announces the stablos connected with his Hotel as to let, The outward Snu Francisco mail closes to-morrow at noon.

Messrs P, H, Wood & Co., sell a largo consignment ot general merchandise at Greytown to-morrow.

B. A. Gardener and Son of Carterton are opening a branch store in the Lower Valley, Mr Montgomery is spoken of as the probable leader of tho Opposition. The colors of tho Greytown Volunteers are imw finished, and will be presented to them on Queen's Birthday.

Our illustrated supple,nent to-morrow will contain a very, beautiful picture of ut fern waterfall in South Australia.

The Masterton Debating Soctoty dive: into tho mystery of " Secret and olhei Confederate Societies" this oven ing.

The first party of sportsmen which proceeded up the Lower Valley tins season bagged twenty one haros. , v .

The liev. J. McKee of Masterton was au eye-witness of the late wieck scene at Timaru. We remind all who take an interest in horticulture and arboreculture of Messrs Lowes and lorns great sale of trees from M. McOardle's nuraeriss to-morrow.

Mr Jno. W. Lang notifies that an] person moving fencing or buildings ai lirooklield Cutlago Masterton without hit consent will be prosecuted.

We have received a copy of Bisbop'i illostraled guido to Wellington. Its illus trations and descriptive articles are, con sidering the price at which lt.'is publishei extremely creditable to its enterprisinf promoter.

The following is the clause of tho Property Tax Act, under which ten per cent is now being added to dilatory taxpayers" Section 77 of the Property Assessment lint 1879 as amonded by the Act of 18S1 reads thus:—lf the persons liable to p:iy the tax tails to pay the amount thereof for tho spuco of fourteen days after the due date, ten per centom mi'tlie innocnt unpaid shall be added thereto, aud such tax, togethor with sue h addition, sliail be recoverable in any Court of competent jurisdiction by the Deputy Commissioner, on behalf of the Crown, by suit in his own name.

Early on Thursday afternoon a severe accident happened to Mr Stephen Swan of the Taratuhi. He was burning off hush on his (arm, Mid \vhi!o stooping, h branch from one of the treos fell, knockill" him down, injuring his hack below tho napo of the neck, and breaking several of hit ribs'. Dr Spi'att was at once sent fur, but Mr Swin, hardlv recovered from (lie .'incident whisii lie incurred just twelve months ago, when ho dislocated his shoulder mid broko his thighs, and having attaiued an advanced age over 70 years his state is a somewhat critical one. It-was a singular coincidence ilmt Mr Munro aud Dr. Spralt wero at the time the accident occurred going out to Mr Swan's firm with a view ef affecting insurances on the lives of his son and son-in-law. His arrival was-opportune but he was nearly in at tho death of orto of the parties he wished t'i lake the life of.

We direct attention to Mr T. E. Price's new. advertisement in another column from which it will be seen that the Educational Depository lias received a very large stock of the newest novellios in all departments. Mr Price also offers a handsome rosewood piano by Bnnsmead and Son, aiid an organ by Mason :i':d Hamlin.

In the House of Commons last Tuesday tho mutter of the alleged understanding between the Government and Mr Piirnell in regard tollielntter's release, was under discussion, Several, Conservatives reaffirmed the truth of the statements which have been current regarding the compact botween Mr Parnell and the Government aud denounced the covenant as utterly .infamous and degrading Mr Gladstone, in reply-, hotly denied the truth of the assertions, and challenged proof of the alleged compact,

I have been privileged to hear an interesting paper 011" Electric Light Engineering," read at the Society of Engineers, and though I could not follow the essayist into the x divided by yof the thing, I gathered from the paper and the subsequent discussion of it by eminent electricians and engineers, a fact or two that may ho worth mentioning. In the lirat place, the holders of gas shares'need ho under no apprehension of an immediate extinction of their stock, Electricity will undoubtedly be our future illuminator, but for 11 good while to come the cost of domeslic lighting by electricity will be greater than that of gas-lighting—-that is to say, in this country ; not in America, where gas costs three times the price it costs here. Next, there is yet a great, almost an insuperable, difficulty in the way of storing electrical energy so that it may be drawn off in small and even quantities, Electricity may, it is true, be accumulated on the Fauro system, but the weight and bulk of the accumulators, and the time they take to charge, are a bar to the general application of the forco in that manner. It takes about eight hours to charge accumulators enough to light a train from London ,to .Brighton, and they weigh several tons. From a-rocent experiment in tramcar propulsion it appears that a ton and a-,, half of accumulators only yields a force equal to 25-liorse power for one hour,

About thirty ladies nud gentlemen met at the Grey town Hall last evening to consider the advisablcneas of forming a Musical Society. Mr W. C, Cliff was voted to the chair, anfl briefly explained the object of the meeting and pointed out the advantages of such a Society. It whb resolved on the motion of Mr Black and seconded by Mr A. Gray ''Thata Society be formed and called the Greytown Philharmonic Society, and that the subscription be 5s per quarter for gentlemen and 2a Gd for ladies. Mr W, C, Buchanan, M.H.R., was elected President and Messrs Coleman Phillips and W. 0, Cuff vice-presi-dents, Mr T. S. Eonaldson was elected secretary and treasurer. It was resolved that a committee consisting of four ladies and four gentlemen be elected, three to form a quorum, the following were .then 'electedMesdames Knell, "White, Scale, and-Tally, Messrs Gray, Wood, Black, and Nation. Mr Tovoy was appointed conductor. It. was decided that practice be held on Thursday evenings a(r 7.30 p.m., the place to be decided by the committee. All present signified their willingness to join the Snciety. The committee meet on Momlay afterneon luxt. at 4 o'clock, and a general meeting in ut fortnight, The meeting then adjourned,

In another column',will ,be found the speoial arrangements on the Wellington and Masterton railway for the Queen's Birthday.. ■ ,Sir Julius Yogel is on tho way to New Zealand. It is stated that Mb mission iB landthis : tiraej -andnot polities. •We liope dame rumor is correct.

It has been definitely decided that Mr T. Peacock, the member for Auckland North, will move the Addresß in Reply, and ihat Mr Rutherford, the member for Bruce, will second it. Tenderß are invited by the committee of the Masterton Public School for clean - ing the buildings at per month. Mr Shand is sending home a special shipment of six carcasses of beef by the Mataura. The total weight of the six is GBoolbs, the largest carcase being 17001b. Messrs Rapp & Hare inform stationholders and-rabbit catchers that they give the highest prices for rabbit skins. A somewhat long', dry; legal argument in the lUf, Court, Masterton,'to day reduced the inmates' of the building to the presiding .magistrate, the clerk of the Court, the bailiffs, 1 and "two lawyers. Every one cleared-who could clear, and some, who couldn't, looked as if they longed for the wings of a "dove. Mr R. Miller reports sale of all remaining portiort of Messrs R, fl, Rhodes and Oo.'a Mr Richard Harding, of Mount Vernon, Waipukurau, ior £125,000. The property comprises 56,500 acres of freehold, and 12,000 of leasehold/ 30,000 sheep, 300 uattle, 63 horses, and all implements, plant, stores, and furniture. Adding this sale to the portion sold a shurt time ago by Mr Miller, the amount realised is £215,000, The, valuation put upon it before being offered was £210,002, The sale to Mr Harding is the-largest transaction over effected in Hawke's Bay. It is whispered very freely about town in politioal circles that a request will be made to Mr Montgomery to lead the Opposition, and. that a-meeting of the members opposed to the Ministry will be shortly called for the purpose of disouss ; ing the practicability of such a course of action, and to determine what measure of support can' be obtained for the new aspirant for political honors, Among the staunohest of the supporters of Mr Montgomery is said to be tho lion, member for Wellington South. It is a inattor of common notoriety that a southern confederation has had this purpose in view during the recess.—N.Z, Times,