The Waikato Times. TUESDAY. JANUARY 23. 1877.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 718, 23 January 1877, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

TUESDAY. JANUARY 23. 1877.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political ***** Here shall the Presi the People's right

maintain, Una wed by influence and trabrfbed by gain,

Whether or no the Government will pay attention to the resolutions by the Waikato County Council m reference to the action of Te Ngakau and the King party at Alexandra, remains to be seen. The desirability of such a matter being entered upon by county councils is, indeed, very seriously open to question, inasmuch as it may be said, iihat it is not one of local so much as of colonial concern, is beyond the functions for which councils were appointed, and involves a matterof policy which county councillors, as such, are not supposed to possess jany special aptitude for dealing with. Be tins, "however, as it may, the matter is one which the Government cannot shirk. It must be met and grappled with — how best, it will be .for the Government itself to decide, but it cannot be permitted that the lawful occupants of land held under grant from the Crown shall be forcibly interfered wtth, either by natives or Europeans, m the enjoyment of rights so conferred upon them.

It has been sought to give political significance to the act of Ngakan, by saying that this interference has been made for the reason that the return of the Pirongia lands was promised to the King by the late Native Minister, bat had this been so the interference would not have been confined to a mere solitary instance. We are far more inclined to believe that the particular party of natives interfering believe, or have been prompted to pretend to believe, that Mrs Morgan had no right to sell absolutely, the land vesting m her children after her death- — and that knowing how effectual native b unce has been with the Government m times past, they have resorted to their present course with the view of extorting compensation ci h°.r from the Government or the European pnrchaser. But while

this removes lioin the act the special political significance, which it has been supposed by some attaches as a matter of course to it, the Government is none the more warranted m passing the mutter by unnoticed, however much relieved it may be as to the consequences likely to result from its action. Meantime the act, of the natives is a most unfortunate one for this district us certain to" act injuriously against the settlement of our lands by southern capitalists, although on investigation the matter may assume a, very different complexion to that at first put upon it, and it may be found to have no political importance whatever.

That such is really the case, our telegrams received sinoe penning "the -above remarks clearly show, And we have little doubt batj that it will be founi, as we have said, an act of attempted extortion which the perpetrators have sought to strengthen l>7 giving to it the appearance of a political significance which it never possessed.

We have^ more than once given expression to our opinion as to the intentions of the Acts relating to the working of the county system m the matter of the valuation lists and the subsidies dependant on the return founded thereon, and required to be sent m on the 31st inst. In taking up a leading Southern journal, the " Canterbury Press," we notice a word of warning issued to the road boards and county councils on this very matter. As our own reading of the Act is called m ques-tion,-we reprint that of the "Press," which we recommend especially to the notice of chairmen of county counsils: — "We beg to call the attention of the mayors and chairmen of the different borough and county councils and road and river boards to a duty which it is incumbent on them to fulfil within the next few days. It is the more essential that they should attend to it inasmuch as tnfeir neglecting to do so will be visited upon the councils or other bodies to which they belong with the loss of their subsidies. The 32nd section of the Financial Arrangements Act provides that all such bodies as we have referred to must forward to the Colonial Treasurer a detailed account under the hand of the chairman, of their rateable property, and of the rates collected by them during the year, and that the payment of subsidies shall be made dependent upon this account being furpished. In future years this statement will not have to be rendered till the Ist of May ; but for this year the Act specially provides that it must be sent m by the 31st January." After showing how th.c neglect or otherwise of this duty will affect the road boards and river boards, the v Press " *g<i»es ou to say.: — ■" As for the county -councils, their case is one of greater difficulty. Some of them have already determined not to bring the comity system into force. For the gene ralj purposes of the Financial Arrangements Act, then, these Councils may be considered as defunct. What would otherwise have been paid to them as subsidies will now be distributed by the Colonial Treasurer direct among the road boards. They have no rateable property and no power to levy rates. They are therefore, m no condition to make the return m question, and it is not required. But there are many councils which have not yet ; decided as to the acceptance or refusal of the county system, and some of these stand adjourned till a date much later than the 31st January. They of coarse can hold no meeting m time to comply with the requirements of the Financial Arrangements Act. The only suggestion we can make m their case is that the Chairman should act for them on his own responsibility. He is the natural executive of the council, apd, m regard to the particular return, the Act makes him personally responsible for its accuracy. It is for him, therefore, to see that the information required is prepared and forwarded. If he should feel a difficulty m doing this without the authority of the council, he must remember that by neglecting it he will incur the still greater responsibility, m the event of the council ultimately deciding tj adopt the Act, of forfeiture for the county of whatever subsidy it would be entitled to.

THE CONCENTRATION OF THE AEMED CONSTABULARY.

We understand that the officer commanding the district, Col. Lyon, has received instructions from the Government not to concentrate the portion of the A.O. Force m Waikato at Kihikihi, as before ordered, or to remove the men of the force at present stationed at Ohinemuri and the Thames. The effect of this counter order will be to leave matters as they were, or, rather, at the present moment, are.