The Waikato Times. THURSDAY, AUGUST 9 1877.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 803, 9 August 1877, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 9 1877.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatever scute or persuasion, veligious o political # # # # #

Here shall the Pres*} the People's right maintain, Unawed by influence and unbribed by gain

The revulsion of feeling on the part of the Mangapiko electors^ who have hitherto opposed the working^ of the Counties Act m Waipa, comes too late for the practical par pose of securing the licensing fees, for this year at least, as county revenue, and the half share of the rent of the Hamilton Ferry, but we can gee no useful } urpose to be gained, as we believe was first intended by the advocates of bringing the entire Act into force m Waipa, by waiting to see what course the Assembly ' will take m amending- the Conn-, ties Act. Whatever alterations may be made m the Act we may naturally suppose will be made for the betteV, and therefore, nothing can be gaiued by delay. On the other hand, indeed much valuable time may be lost, and should it be determined, as it is not improbable it may be. at the public meeting to be held at LeQuesne's Hall on Monday night next, that the Counties, failing the Colonial Government, movingin the matter, are the most proper bodies to undertake the construction of a bridge at Hamilton, there will be all the more reason that Waipa should lose no further time m placing itself m harness as a working County. A private Bill will have to be obtained to authorise" the construction of the work and the levying of tolls, and if this is done, the opportunity of the Assembly being now m session should not be lost. The work is one which will doubtless have to be undertaken by the Counties jointly or by the Town Boards more directly interested, either as Boards as now existing, or as a united Borough. There are many who do not believe that the time is ripe for the formation of the two Hamilton townships into a Borough, or that the local Boards should enter on so important a work as the construction of a bridge, the more especially as it is expressly provided by recent legislation that the matter of bridges shall be a County one. And the Counties themselves will doubtless, under the circumstances, be perfectly willing to undertake the work There will be no difficulty m finding the money, on the security of the Haniiltoh township reserves, which are very valuable and extensive, it power is obtained to utilise them for the purpose. These are matters of detail, however, which' we shall expect to see clearly placed before the meeting on Monday. There are. other reasons, too, why the Waipa County should set itself m working order, and none the least of such is the necessity for the construction of a road which, passing through the fertile but isolated districts of Ngahinepouri and Tuhikaramea, will open up direct communication between the extreme frontier at Alexandra and Ngaruavvahia. This is a work which the local Boards are clearly unable to grapple with, and the time has evidently passed away when we can count on, leaning upon Government assistance, as on a crutch, for support m such matters. And it is well, perhaps, for us as a community, that we should understand our position, and ceasing to waste time and energy m calling on Jove to get the wagou out of the rut, put oar own shoulders to the wheel. This looking to Government for assistance at every turn, is an outgrowth of the Provincial system which has passed away, and must, if we are to progress with the times, be cast aside with it. There are, then, reasons, and cogent ones, why it is most desirable to push the matter as early as possible. A meeting of the Waipa Council will, m the course of events, be held, we believe m the course of another ten days or a fortnight, when the matter may be discussed among the councillors, but, even otherwise, the machinery is simple and can be set m force at any moment. Under Clause 69 of the Counties Act, the Council]

may at auy time hold a special meeting.pn a requisifcioa to the clerk by the Chairman ov by any fhtee Councillors specifying 1 the day.for which such special meeting shall be called, not less than sevea daysinotice thereof being given to each Councillor, and the 3rd clause 1 -of the 2nd schedule provides that the Council' so .summoned may by resolution determine that the whole of the Act shall come into force m tfce County. If such resolution be , come to then the Act comes iv force I the next day. .