The Waikato Times. THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 1877.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 752, 12 April 1877, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 1877.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political # # # # *

Here shall the Presi the People's vigh • maintain, TJnawecl by influence and unbribed by gain.

To have extended the powers of highway boards rather than to have raised into existence - rival bodies in the form of county councils, was long since advocated by this journal, and there seems at the present time to be a reactionary feeling setting in in this direction. Between the road boaVds and councils, there will always be, more or less, a feeling of jealousy and distrust, and this would have been avoided by confining the administration of local government to one set of oodies, with facilities for the amalgamation of boards into larger districts as the desirability for such, amalgamation became evident to. the ratepayers. Mr Fox, we see, in his speech at Wanganui, has opened up the question as a possible solution to the local selfgovernment difficulty which, without doubt, will constitute itself the piece de resistance of the business of the coming session at Welliugton. The Government, too, have, as will be seen elsewhere, issued to chairmen of road boards a circular, stating that the desirability of delegating to the highway boards the bowers vested in the Superintendent of the Acts enumerated in the 63rd Clause of the Auckland Highways Act, 1864, is under consideration, and asking -the several boards if they are desirous of accepting these powers, or any of them. The powers referred to are those conferred by the Weeds and Watercourse Act, 1866 ; the Rural Police Act, 1866; the Thistle Act, 1858 ; | the Impounding Act, 1867 ; the Eegistration of Brands Act, 1871, and the Registration of Brands Act Amendment Act, 1871; the Dog Nuisance Act,. 1854 ; the Regulation of Ferries Act, 1863 ; and the Slaughter-house Act, 1866. To give the powers conferred by these Acts to the highway boards would be to shear the county councils of a large measure of their functions.