PUBLIC MEETING HAMILTON RIDING.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 734, 1 March 1877, Page 2

PUBLIC MEETING HAMILTON RIDING.

THE COUNTY QUESTION

A meeting of the ratepayers was tjcld laßb night m the Court House to consider the question of bringing the whole of the Couutiea Act into operation. Mr A Cox, M.H.8., occupied the chair. Cr Hammond stated, that tho meeting was called to afford the ratepaj era an opportunity of expi easing an opinion ou the advisibilily or itberwise of bringing the whole Act into operation. Such opinion .would guide councilors of the Hamilton Biding. Cr Hay said the meeting was called to discuss the Act, with a view to causing its provisions to be more (thoroughly understood. Me Jones proposed that as the place of meeting had been changed from the School house to the Court House without notice that the meeting be adjourned until to-morrow evening.-; Before the motion was put, Mr Hay explained to at it was only late m tho afternoon when he obtained permission to use the Court House, He was at the School house ten minutts after the appointed hour. The motion having been put to the meeting, was rejected. ■ Mr BJ Sakdbs proposed a resolution " that the whole of the Act be brought into force into the county of Waipa." The resolution was eeconded by Mr Grwynne. He was not a believer altogether m the County Act, bub we were bound to adopt it sooner or later, and to do so at once was better, he thought, than drifting on as we otherwise should do. Mr Samuel Steele m seconding the amendment--, said he thought the road boards could spend their own subsidy without employing the Council to doit. They had done the rough work up to now and he thought thby should be allowed to carry out the work they had begun. Cr Hat said that he and his brother Councillor came there to get the opinion of the meeting, hot to make speeches. He was prepared to answer any question put put to him, but whether the motion or amendment were oarried, he should himself vole m the Council as seemed best to him. He thought the people should take what they could get of local self government, and as they found the Act faulty, get their representatives at Wellington to amend it. If they stood out, they would allow other counties to filch their privileges. The Waikato County would take our ferries and our tolls. The Waikato Council was an active body, who would work with us, but who, if we refused to act as a county, would act against us. They had already applied for the control of the ferry, and would probably get it, if Waipa refused to act as a county. Cr Hay alluded somewhat fully to the provisions and powers of the Act, and urged on those present to take a more comprehensive view of the matter, and look to the future as well as the present. The subsidies m either case would not be lost, but he pointed out that, if operated upon by the Colonial Government they would come to the road boards considerably re* duced by deductions. He thought that the county should receive the subsidy, even though it distributed it again m the same proportion to the road boards. Or Hammond endorsed the arguments of Cr Hay m favour of bringing the Act into force. He, for one, would be for distributing the surplus of subsidies pro rata to the road boards, and would not go m for carrying out county .works of any magnitude. Mr Stbelb wanted to know, m such case, what there was for the council to do. He thought the County Councils would run away with all the revenue, and aye nothing for distribution. The Chairman said that whatever the Act was, it was capable of amendment. The boundaries of counties could be amended if needed. Mr Murray, M.H.E., said that by adopting the Act, the powers of the road boards would be absorbed by the counties, just as the Provincial powers had been .absorbed by the General Government. :Cr Hammond urged that any Bu^h merging of road road boards must be a voluntary act on the part of the boards. Or Hay read 37th clause, showing this to be the. case, Mr 10 Hammond said he had heard no' argument ; used against working the Act- " The question was, whether the council could not better do the work of the county than the Government which, if the council did not, would do it, and charge the county's subsidies with the cost. It was un-English and unbusiness* like to stand aside. Mr Mtjerat said he had been misunderstood m his remarks. He had^merely wished to place befqr.e the meeting the probable ultimate result of working the Act. He thought that the Waipa county should adopt the Act — that it would be to its interest to do So. • , fo,a amenoment was put and lost and Mr Sands' motion carried. A vote of thanks to tho chairman terminated the proceedings.