A.—4

142

for three years. The members may be paid one shilling a mile for going to the place of meeting, and twenty-one shillings for attendance, for the meeting in each month, and reasonable expenses for speaial meetings, but they must be in attendance within five minntes after the time appointed for the meeting. The main roads are vested in, and are under the control and management of, the Local Board. The only revenue of the Board consists of sums appropriated to each district out of moneys voted by Parliament for the maintenance of main roads , and each Local Board is required to appropriate the funds allotted to it amongst the main roads of the district, after giving a week's notice to the Corporations and District Councils of their intention to make such appropriation. The Minister for Public Works is constituted the Commissioner for Main Roads, and in the absence of a Local Board its duties devolve upon him, and when any Board is dissolved by the Governor for neglecting its duties, the Commissioner administers the Act in its place. The Governor appoints two Auditors for each road district. All the accounts have to be kept according to a form supplied by the Commissioner, and annual accounts of receipts and expenditure have to be sent to him by each Board and gazetted; but the Act contains no provisions for enforcing the powers of the Audit, or for surcharging the Board for misuser of moneys. The Boards may open new main roads and may alter or close existing ones, and if a main road ceases to be a main road, it is handed over to the Corporation or District Council of the town or district in which it may be. The Local Boards have no power of rating, or dealing with other funds than those supplied by the Government. they are, in fact, no more than subordinate branches of the Public Works Department, to which the care of the main roads in the colony is delegated. The District Councils Act of 1876 provides for the management of all the roads in the colony other than the main roads and the roads and streets in municipalities. The " districts "in existence under former Acts repealed are preserved, and the Governor in Council is empowered to form new districts. Municipalities are not included in districts. The Council consists of five members, or, where the district is divided into wards, of a member for each ward, but if other numbers have been fixed by former Acts they remain unchanged. The annual election takes place on the first Monday in July, when three of the Council go out of office. Two Auditors are elected at the same time, annually Any resident ratepayer may be elected to the Council, or to be Auditor Service on the Council is compulsory, under a penalty of £20 , and as Auditor, under a penalty of £10, unless the candidate has retired before the election. The Chairman is elected by the Council at the first meeting after the annual election. Every person whose name is on the books as a ratepayer may give one vote at an election, and, where the district is divided into wards, may give one vote in each ward in which he is a ratepayer The district roads are under the care and management of the Council, and the uninterrupted use of any street in a town or village, for five years after it has been laid out, is evidence of its having been dedicated to the public, upon which it becomes a district road. Reserves may be granted to District Councils or placed under their control and management. The Council elects constables for the district from a list of persons liable to serve as constables, made oixt yearly by the Clerk to the Council. Service is compulsory, subject however to providing a substitute, under a penalty of £10. The revenues of the Council are derived from the rents and profits of property, fines and penalties imposed by the Act and by certain other Acts mentioned in a schedule, fees, licenses, and general and special rates and loans. There is however no endowment out of the public revenues.

District Councils.