THE The Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. FRIDAY, JULY 1. 1881.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 1 July 1881, Page 2

THE The Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. FRIDAY, JULY 1. 1881.

- — — — ■ . Much adverse eonymeiit has arisen rela« tive to the action of tlje County Council in sending two of tjje v members and paying their expenses to Jfiudjinfiton, for the sole purpose, as it wouj^^to^fft^anlicipatio g. or, if not iso^pMTOTin (bat, of thwarting, as far as*lw6 such model dele* gates as those selected are capable of do ing, the intentions of our district' repre* se&tatives, The method of the appoint* ment of these brilliant plenipotentiaries is not the least singular feature of the whole of this singular proceeding. According to the minutes of tbe " Executive Meeting," at which* thiss master-stroke of policy was hatched out, three members only of tbe Council "were present, and (wo of these proceeded at once to vole them* Wellington .anJEfjsLcourse, as the ball was at their feet, it was only the matter of another motion to decide that the public should appropriately reward the great self-sacrifice they were about to make in tearing themselves away from their own important private engagements, by paying their expenses. For this necessary — very necessary pur« pose, they seem to have voted themselves the moderate sum of £70, or thereabouts, of public money, which would give them just £35 apiece; and no doubt they con« sider themselves dirt«cheap at tbe money, as no doubt many other people will do. Well, tbe business done, tbe next iropor* tant acliievenjent in ttie programme is the arrival of the illustrious ambassadors in tbe Empire City, an event which may or may not have had something to do with the earthquake which occurred about that time. Since their landing in Wellington their movements hare been chronicled here with all the exactitude befitting the importance of their mission, and the im« portance of themselves. They have made the members of the district aware of their august presence at tbe seat of Government ; have recommended the Chair* man of the Goldfields Committee to take their evidence on mining matters ; have arranged to have an interview with Min» isters ; will endeavor to get a Royal Commission* appointed' (o enquire into the wants of the goldfields,- and belzebub only knows what else they are not going to do. Could downright tom-foolry go beyond this? A brace of County Councillors accrediting themselves to Wellington for' the purpose of intermedling with the; duties 1 of representatives chosen by the people l 7t is the most unwarranted piece of impudence imaginable, and Messrs Westou anoF'SPves would on'y; be resenting the affront offered them bythese self-glorified busy-bodies by au'etly ignoring them. Had the emergency been at all press^ag for the presence of a deputation in Wellington, it'would have been thought that the County Chairman himself was the proper person io undertake the office, and in the event of his in* ability to leave, the duty we think was incumbent uppn him to let ' tbe public know something of bis intention to dele* eate the trust. As it is, not only were the public kept quite dark on the sub ject, but some of the Councillors were actually in ignorance of the step until after it had been taken. For our own part we fail to see that there was the slightest public necessity for any such expenditure, and apart from its undoubted illegality, we cannot but regerd tbe proceeding as highly imprudent. It bas been claimed in a loud voice that the present Government is oveiflowing with good intentions to this district, and yet in tbe face of this, and in presence of the admitted fact that we have two represent tatives at head quarters in whom the public have the fullest confidence, it has been deemed necessary to post off two shining light? of the Council to blow political soap»bubbles at the expense of tbe ratepayers. _^^^^^^^^^^