The Westport Times. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1573.

Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1116, 17 October 1873, Page 2

The Westport Times. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1573.

Ose of the Boanerges of tho Municipal Council is, of a verity, Councillor Shoahan. He has, during his brief tenure of office, thundered " muchly." There was a Public "Works Report, 'bearing the stamp of his genius, solemnly laid upon the table, but of so wonderful and fearful portent that as y.>t his brother Councillors in wisdom have, with bated breath and guarded utterance, looked upon it as something to be avoided. Embalmed iu the archives of the Council Chamber it will be handed down to posterity as an evidence of tho great things that may from little things arise, the presentment, in substantial form, of much ado about nothing. Bu>-, in tho vernacular, Councillor Sheahan has been at it, ac;ain. The subdued sounds of muffled thunder heard iu the Council Chamber on "Wednesday evening last portends something even more terrific than before, and that the gentle public may be prepared, we note the prognostics of approaching mcteoro(il)lou;ical coufusiou. He has given notices of motion to the effect, firstly, that the existence of Municipal Government in Westport would be seriously affected by the introduction of the Local Revenues Act, 1873, under its existing form. Secondly, that therefore tho Council deem it necessary and expedient that his Honor the Superintendent proclaim the Municipality of Westport a Subdistrict. * * Thereby enabling the rate payers to avail themselves Of the advantages as conferred under clause 27 of the Local Revenues Act. Thirdly, that his Honor be requested to introduce a bill into the Provincial Council at its next sessiou to amend the Act, in order to exempt from operations of the said Act Municipalities within the Nelson South west Goldfields." Of course until Councillor Sheahan has pubhely spoken in swpport of these

motions it is impossible to judge of his opinion thereon, or tho lbrce cf the arguments lie may adduce, but at present a slight contusion of idoas arises in considering by what force of reasoning tlie three motions will be made to coalesce. The first resolution propounds ihat Municipal ltule will be endangered by Local Revenues rule, tho second that therefore the Superintendent must be asked to proclaim Westport a sub-District under Local Revenues rule. Tho third that Municipalities on the South West Goldfields shall be exempt from the operation of Local Revenues rule. To tho first plea it might be argued that no such danger exists, to the second that if such danger exists the subdivision of tho district will not lessen tho evil, and to tho third that any present appeal to " His Honor " would be absurd, seeing that he may possibly be no longer Superintendent when the new Council assembles, and that any amendment of the present Local Revenues Act, or introduction of a new measure, would be better placed in charge of tho newly elected Provincial members for the district. And again the exemption of "municipalities" would be superfluous and probably mischievous legislation, seeing that but one municipality exists on the Nelson goldfields, and that in tho event of other towns becoming so constituted the residents therein may possibly hold different viewsfrom thoseof CrSheahan. There is a clause iu the Municipal Act which recommends itself to present attention. Its adoption iu a liberal spirit by the Westport Municipal Council, for the few months that must necessarily intervene before any amendment or modification of the Local Revenues Act can be effected, will save much wordy contention. It is clause 3(58, which provides that " subject to the approval of the Superintendent it shall be lawful for tho Council of any borough from time to time to contract upon such terms and conditions as they may see fit with the Council of any other borough in tho same province or with any oilier bod// corporate or public body empowered in that leliolf for or with respect to the doing and control and management by cither or both of the contracting parties of any matter or thing which the Council or body is by law empowered to do, control, or manage."