Correspondence.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3180, 15 April 1889, Page 2

Correspondence.

The Auditor's Award (To the Editor), ' Sir.—ln your leader of the 11th hist, you deal with tho matter on an arbitration ofthe Audit Department as between the Wairarapa North and Pahiatua County Councils. Ih'cquv menting upon the award you state that both parties are anxious to know to whom therates'dueintliePiliiatua County are payable. This may be so with the Wairarapa North, who may be anxious to detain them, but since receiving the award froin, the Auditor., I do not think it is so with this Council, At all evento, spouting for

myself, ii'i« not. To begin at the beginning, the Auditor-General in accordance with a clause iu the Counties Act, arbitrated an adjustment between the two Counties.. He asked tho Wairarapa North County to provide him with a statement of assets and liabilities of that County which then included the Pahiatua riding, as on the 80th day of September, the Counties half yearly balance. That balance-sheet showed a statement presumably to midnight of the 80th of September. After the clock struck 12 p.m. the Pahiatua Counties Aot came into force. On this statement of assets and liabilities made out on that date, the AuditorGeneral based his award, That award goes to prove that on that date the Wairarapa North County wasactually possessed of a credit in cash and property of a sum representing nearly £looo—which was divisible on the Ist of October, necessarily on the 'coming into force of the Pahiatua Counties Act. This then has been divided, and from that division there is no appeal, Since that date the Wairarapa North County has received a sum of L 127 odd, toll monies collected within the new County, which monies (from raypoint of view, which I think is the correct one) they hold in trust for this. County, and should be paid over without further cavil when demanded. What have the Wairarapa North to do with any funds' they may have collected or to be collected, whether by way .of rates or tolls withiu the Pahiatua "County after the balancesheet and the coming into force of the new Counties Act? It was possible that the Wairarapa North County may have been nearly £IOOO on the debtor side on the 30th of September, and if that were so the new County would have been liable to its share of that indebtedness to the same amount that they now have credit for, viz., £192, Could the Wairarapa North County have then claimed a right to rates uncollected, and tolls as in the present case within the new County? I think not, Thero is no mistaking the position of the award, as, up to midnight on the 80th of September last. Beyond that the Wairarapa North County cannot have anyclaim, only for actual cash paid out of pocket, after that date on behalf of the new County, which will, of course, be a fair demand upon it, but this is without doubt tho only claim, and though the Wairarapa North County for some reason or other wish to be mystified, the position is quite clear to me,—T am A-c, Joi) Vile. Pahiatua, April 12th 1889.