THE Inangahua Times, PUBLISHED TRI- WEEKLY. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 1882.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1061, 15 March 1882, Page 2

THE Inangahua Times, PUBLISHED TRI- WEEKLY. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 1882.

Thbbe ia scarcely a town in the colony, of the fliae and importance of Reefton, that has not been created a Borough on the petition of its Inhabitants, and the time has certajoly now arrived when the public should seriously consider the desirability of taking steps in the same direction. The advantages derivable from the establishment of a Municipality, to those residing within its limits, must be apparent to any one who will reflect for a moment. It does not mean extra taxation of any kind, it merely means the substitution of a Borough, for a County Council, to whom payment of rates must be made, whilst ob the other hand it means their local expenditure ill the Borough within Whidh they are collected instead of being spread over several Ridings as at present. At the present time at least three-fifths of the County revenue is derived from Reefton, whilst not oneflfth is spent in it in the course of the year. The streets and footpaths bear 'evidence to the small proportion that finds its way back .again for the benefit of those from whose pockets it is annually extracted. This fact alone is quite sufficient to set people thinking whether they are not paying too dearly for their whistle under the County government, and whether it would not be to their material Benefit to spend their own money in their own fashion, and in such a manner as will give them the best return through a Borough Council It has been argued that the money spent by the County Council, though not expended in Reefton itself, was used in making roads and tracks which enabled miners and others to come in and purchase stores of various kinds. At one time this was true, and when the idea pf a Borough was mooted first the argument applied. Now, however, things are wholly changed. In the outlying townships at the present time good stores are found where miners i supply themselves, the chief roads and tracks are made, and the County Council can get on very well without milking Reefton any longer. Another objection has been that a duplicate set of officers would be needed, and unnecessary expense occasioned thereby. It is true that a Town Clerk, Town Surveyor, arid Rate 1 Collector, would be wanted, but the cost of the staff may not be great notwithstanding. Any number pf competent persons would be found willing to perform the respective duties at low salaries, provided they were allowed to engage in other occupations. They could do this very well, as the business of the. Borough would not occupy nearly their whole attention. Even allowing for this expense, Reefton, if a Borough, would have three times as much money to spend as it has at present. These objections may be said to be disposed of, and we are unaware of any others being put forward. Irrespective of the money question there are other advantages derivable from the estabment of a Borough that even outweigh it in importance. The drainage of Ijfche town is really nil, and ho^v we hwe escaped an epidemic of a fatal naMre is something little short of miracwous? for nuisances of the most pernicious and dangerous kind exist, indeed cannot .be remedied unless thoroughly effective drainage be provided. The cost of this would, of course, be beyond the immediate resources of the Borough, but the Municipal Corporations Act empowers bodies constituted under it to borrow for drainage purposes on certain conditions that can easily be complied with. But more necessary than that even for health, and the safety of the lives and properties of the public, a full and efficient water supply is needed. The late disastrous fires that Reefton has suffered from must impress on all the imperative demand there is for provision of this kind, and no one knows at what moment we may be subjected to a similar visitation, against which, without water, we are almost wholly unprotested. For drinking purposes the river water, through the batteries emptying into it, is unfit for use, whilst that obtained from the wells, owing to the numerous cesspools, is in many cases both poisonous and disgusting. The Act permits a loan to be raised for water supply, and never could money

He devoted to a more urgent purpose. Taking all the above facts into consideration, we would urge on the residents the pressing necessity there is for creating Reeften a Borough, and sincerely hope that the business men of the place, as\well as the general public, will, without delay, prepare and present a petition, as required by the Act, to bring about this end.