The Waikato Times. SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 1877.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 714, 13 January 1877, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 1877.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political # # # * # Here shall the Pres-3 the People's right maintain, Unawed by influence and unbribed by gain.

To-day, we suppose, for the 15 th falls on Sunday, is the last day on which valuers to the several Highway districts and local boards may legally sign and transmit to such local bodies the valuation of all rateable properties, and the names of the owners and occupiers thereof. In several instances, we notice that such valuers have been appointed, and we would remind all local bodies that on this valuation list being sent m to the Colonial Treasurer, on or before the 31st inst., depends the payment of subsidies from the consolidated fund and land fund The 32nd clause of the Financial Arrangement Aot distinctly states that " no subsidy shall become payable under this Act to aiiy such council or board, unless such account is sent to the Colonial Treasurer as herein provided." Now, m this matter,

the county councils, equally with the rOad boards, will have to Bee tbat such valuation list is sent m. It is all very well for them to say that they will receive subsidy on the valuation lists sent iv ; by by the road boai'ds, for clause G5 of the Rating Act provides, that where two bodies are rating m the same district, only one valuation roll shall be used, by wbich it would seem that it was intended that the county councils should adopt the road board val nations. Doubtless this is ao, but councils m such case must— if they determine to send m nO valuation lists of their own, but to accept the alternative m » sub-section 2 of clanse 8 of the "Financial Arrangements Act — be prepared to suffer for the laches or neglect of the road boards. To put a case, any. one of the many rond boards m a county, say of Waipa, may neglect to comply with the requirements of the Act, and may thus forfeit its share of the subsidies through such neglect. If the county council had depended on its, own valuation list, or on those of. the boards, adopted • and sent m ns its own, it would have drawn its fall half-subsidy. If, bowever, depending altogether on this duty being performed by the boards, it finds, when too late, one or more of them have sent m no valuation list, then the county's halfshare of the subsidies will be less than what it would have been by the amount of the rates of such boards thus neglecting their duty.