The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1884. THE COUNTY MEETING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1610, 15 February 1884, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1884. THE COUNTY MEETING.

Yesterday's meeting of the East County was amusing if not instructive, The first item in the bill of fare was a communication from a Maori which cleax-ly indicated that the Council mismanaged the Manawntu Ferry, and that he, the intelligent native, could put things straight for them. We believe that the Maori is not far wrong. • This particular ferry has never been a credit to the County, but as might be expected, the Council was not eager to admit its_ Carver weakness, or the blunders of its predecessor tho West County. The next dish before the Council was a delicate one, the suspension petition. It was gravely referred to the Public Works Committee for scrutiny. Now on this Committee sit one or two gentlemen who were tho leading agents in getting up the petition, It will be a treat to see them scrutinising their own handy work, and shutting their eyes lest they detect a flaw in it. Then followed an interesting tliscuEsion over the new road districts, Local legislation is sufficiently complicated as it is, and it is somewhat cruel for Wangaohu Bottlers to make confusion worse confounded by backing up a counterpetition after signing the original memorial. This practice tondß to mix up things, and we trust if will not be adopted as a precedent, Settlers in the, Wairarapa have a mania for Bigning their names. Even a subscript tion list won't stop them from wielding the pen, but when a memorial for anything or against anything is presented to them they simply, rush if, We heard the other day of a settler who can neither read nor write whose narao appeared ia a beautiful Roman hand to a document which is to seal the fate of Wairarapa North. Not only this but a most respectable sqttloi; who can read and write, swore before a Justice of th'e Peace that this particular signature was genuino. The age of miracles is not yet passed. Canvassers for signatures in the Wairarapa can' teach the'raost illiterate to write.a free bold hand in the course of a few minutos, The Government by its pormissive legislation has supplied a public want and created numberless petitions with which settlers can gratify their appetite for signing their names. No doubt a settler after signing a petition and a counter-petition feels easy in his mind. Ho has done all he possibly can do to give effect to permissive legislation, We are indebted also to yesterday's meeting for more light'oh the''intent? and purposes of permissive legislation. It is not only intended to teach people to write their names to State documents, but it is also meant according to Mr Meredith to enable settlers to

escape taxation. If a dozen settlers in any part of the district don't like a road rate they petition to be separated into a new district, and then all they have to d» is not to levy a rate amongst themselves, but simply take any outside pickings which may be available. Permissive legislation gives settlers power, therefore to escape rates and consequently to do without roads. If Bettlew'only take full advantage of the opportunities it offers for escaping taxation, Wairarapa North instead of being ten years behind other districts in the colony in material progress will soon be twenty or thirty.