LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1553, 15 July 1885, Page 3

LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

Tbs special correspondent of the Lyitel- . ton Times kdcls the following summary of Mr W. 0. Walter’® remarts, made In the House of Representatives last sight, upon tha Local Bodies Finance and Powers BO!:—Hr Walker thought the Bill would do the'good service of bring* log the -people face to face with their responsibilities. He remembered that the vice of Provincial Governments, the cause ■ ofthslr downfall, was that many responsibilities were shifted on to the Colonial Legislature. It was in the fervent hope of potting an end to that state of things for once and for ever, that he and others Voted for the abolition of the Provincial system. He reviewed the difficulties of the subject of local government, and said Government was trying to settle (these difficulties in a just and proper way. He oonld not see how the towns could consider they were unfairly treated. The beet principle was to devote the land fund to-the-development of the country. As this-Bill offered by. subaidies to many dis- : triots that of-which they had been deprived of old, it was a return to some extent to the good principle. The Roads and Bridges Act was immutable, because it was only adapted to districts in their infancy. The Act was condemned by the unanimous condemnation of local bodies in 1882, as ■ - was jwoved by a circular now in posses* •lon of the Hoose. In Victoria the system of subsidies to local bodies from general, revenue prevails, and is an a • mitted success. As to local borrowing, so far from the powers leading to local recklessness, Ms experience was that when the responsibilities were local nothing was harder than to get the assent of the ratepayers to loans, even for the meat necessary works In the matter o* division of these subsides he hoped Government would sgree to divide f irlj between Road Boards and County Councils, and give facilities to districts to amalgamate, i Mr Joseph Ivesa, the newly elected for Wakanoi, also spoke upon subject, bat we can find no notice of bis remarks beyond the summary, which appears elsewhere, supplied by die Press Association.