THE COUNTY ACT.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 706, 23 December 1876, Page 3

THE COUNTY ACT.

Sit,— l read with interest your leading article of the 14th inst, referring to County Councili. Would you inform me what direct loss the County will sustain •hould the now Act not be brought into force in its entirety? I imagine the County would receive an equal amount of money, at in any case the subsidies are to be distributed amoDg the Boid Boards ; ■übjcct to deductions for charitable purposes ; unless the whole Act i> brought into force when the County Councili will have half the subsidies for expenditure themselves. If the whole Aot is not brought i'to force, the chairman will receive no salary, and the expense of a clerk, offices, &o, will be merely nominal, which would be a great taring to the County. No one can lose tight of the advantage of a central body controlling all th« large works of the District, i ut I feel we shall pay too dearly for it, if we pat ourielres under the Act, especially as when this is onoe done, it cannot be undone. It has been argued that if the County Councils keeps in order the main roads, the Road Boards will be able to make the bye roads, but where is the mon»y to come from ? This is the whole difficulty. If the County i« to take over the main roads and the boards are still to hare their rates, it must entail a new rate and increased taxation to improve our roads (which we can easily x*ise with our present machinery) ond the money will be spent by tiro distinct bodies, the one untried and necessarily expensive, whils t the other has at least the merit of being inexpensiTe and considering the difficulties under which it labours efficient. I must differ entirely from jour statement that to hesitate to accept the Counties Act is to distrust Local self-Government. It would only be to distrust the terms on which it is offered to us ; and to do this is th» natural consequence of reviewing the legislation of last session ; which I venture to think will be found, whsn too Ints, to be especially burdensome to land, while it is caretully provided tbat in future all improvements shall be taxed, which will make any increased rates fall extra heavily on the bona fide settler in comparison with the speculator. Many details of the Act will require to be amended next session, but until the country districts and working settlers can get more even justice m compared with municipalities aud absentees I fear Abolition will not be the boon so many of us were sanguine enough to expect. — I am, Ac, S. A. M.

BOROUGHS UiNDER THE ACT. Sib, — Can you inform me what will •ntitle » townabip to claim to be erected into ft borough ? Enqcibbr. Hamilton We»t, Deo. 22. [A.n are* of nine iquare mil'i, or 5,760 acrei, and ft population of 250 home-holder*.-Ed W.T.]