The Wairarapa Daily. THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 1884. COUNTY SUSPENSION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1597, 31 January 1884, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 1884. COUNTY SUSPENSION.

' ——• . ■ Yesterday the second step towards suspending the Wairarapa East County was taken, viz,, the presentation of a suspension petition signed by threefifths of the ratepayers, to the Government. A certain amount of'display has been .made over this stage of the. proceedings. Three County .Councillors seemed to have .taken a pride in appearing in public to breatup'aJprm-of local self-government to which they did not consider it necessary to be loyal. The statements made by the depujto; tion, too, were somewhat peculiar, Mr Meredith asserted that the ratepayers wanted tho County suspended because they believed that Road Boards could administer works in the district.moreefiicie'ntlyandeconomiciillythantheCo'unty ; Council. As far as we can gather the real reason why very many ratepayers signed the petition was because they were told by Mr Meredith' and others : ' that, if they put their names to it they would be relieved from the payment of half their existing rates, Time will show the fallacy of promises of this nature. The cost of administration of local bodies is a matter of;fact, not argument. In the past the County administration has been more economical than that of the Road Board, and we may be excused if we hesitate to accept Mr Meredith's assurance that' the future will reverse the experiences already recorded. Mr Meredith's statement, that the County had expended its general in one particular portion of thecounty for the benefit of a small minority is one that we venture to assert, that he would riot dure to make at the Council table, but in Wellington 1 with no one to contradict or correct him, he can with safety give full swing to a somewhatvivid imagination and a strong prejudice, Mr McCabdlb, who

followed Mr Meredith informed the Minister ■ that the County -rates amounted to' .£3,000 per annuni; and that the County staff swallowed up. £I,BOO of this sum. As a matter,of "fact of which.Mr McCardle cannot be -unaware,' the County staff does not swallow up one-fourth of this sum, and we aro puzzled to account for such a declaration from such a, source. A similar statement was made and reiterated some few months ago, but it Was proved heyond all possible doubt to be altogether unfounded. We must charitably suppose that this is another example of the case that some men will by constant repetition of a fiction, come at last to believe it to be true. If Mi'McCahdle honestly believed there had been an undue expenditure on staff salaries in the county, why has he never, at his place at the county table, moved that they should be reduced— J why should he acquiesco at the county table to that wh'cb he denounces out side 1 The fact is, Mr McCardle though a capable public' man, is so very unstable in the opinions lie expresses that his best friends cannot rely upon him. Mr McCardle, in reciting the sins of the county of which lie was a member, must have forgotten the old saying, "its an ill bird that fouls its own nest." We credit Mr McCardle with taking a lively andhonest interest in public affairs, and believe him to be capable of doing much good work in the future, and admit that he has served the public well in many respects, It is with regret we have occasion to find fault with such an old public servant, not because he holds opinions contrary to own, but because he lowers himself as a public man by giving utterance to randum statements which cannot be substantiated, and which, if they could be verified, would eompromise himself as a member of the body which he assails. We, fancy Mr Buchanan must have blushed to hear his deputation humbugging the Hon. Mr Dick with such absurd statements. The curious part of the business appears to us.tobe that' thero was not the slightest necessity for embellishing the petition by fictitious references. If the signatures were right, the point the deputation sought to secure was gained. .The next step towards suspension is surrounded by difficulties, and that is the issue of the proclamation, This document must allot to the Road Boards the assets and liabilities of the County, If the JRoad Boards were agreed as to the distribution of the liabilities, the task would be easy, as the Government would simply give effect to their wishes. There will be objections, however, from the Koad Boards.' Wo question whether even the Masterton Uoad Board will shoulder the burden it will have to take, up without hesitation. To ho consistent it will have to take over many miles of roads and maintain them out of its existing rate. We feel sure that the Pahiatua Board will kick at being saddled with any liabilities at all, and yet it is certain to have some debited to it. The Cashpoint Board will probably tell the plain;unvarnished truth, viz,, that with its maximum rate it cannot maintain its roads and defray its share of the County obligations. The Masterton Board.is in the same position, but it is not likely to admit the fact. The onus of distributing the engagements of the county will ultimately devolve on the shoulders of the Government, and the task will be most arduous, We do not believe that the proclamation will he ready for issue on the date indicated by Mr Meredith, viz " All Fool's Day." Of courso it is an open question yet whether it will be ever issued at all, or if promulgated whether it will not be revoked by a counter petition when settlers realise the muddle into which the district is drifting. It i& far easier to destroy than to construct, to make mischief than to repair it. If however, the County should become suspended, we venture to prophecy that its substitute will lie less economical and less efficient and that the ratepayers will at length realize that they were gulled when they sold their signatures for a vague promise of a remission of rates.