The Dominion WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1910. THE RAID ON THE CITIES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 987, 30 November 1910, Page 6

The Dominion WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1910. THE RAID ON THE CITIES.

The Tramways Bill, as most people aro by now aware, is for the most part a declaration that in respectof their largest undertakings the cities are placed formally under tho control oi a Minister who, as Mr. Wilford aptly observed, knows no more about tramways than he knows about the fourth dimension and who understands local righta only as pestiferous things that interfere with the unbridled rule of the little knot of men with whom he is associated. Late on Monday evening the House wdnt into Committee on tho Bill, and there ensued a struggle that lasted almost until breakfast-time.. Excepting by the Minister, hardly a word'was said in defence of tho measure; and not even.the Minister was ablo to supply a sound answer to the pertinent criticisms of Messrs. Wiuord . and Herdman and thoso members of tho Opposition who assisted them. But the Minister was above the need for arguments: he had a solid body of dumb supporters who took no part in the debate, who did not know or com anything about tho Bill, but who remained in attendance in order to past their votes as tho Minister desired. There has never, to our knowledge, been a more, glaring case of the triumph of wiite force and ignorance over ;Ogic and public spirit, and it is a depressing thought that there is still a year to elapse before the country can hopo for escape from tms dead-weight of unenlightened subservience that has inflicted, such a heavy blow upon the autonomy of .ocal authorities within their rightful sphere. It was due from Mr. Wilford, who gave his blessing to the surrender of the.House in respect of that amendment to the Municipal Corporations Bill; which the Government would not accept, that he should make amends • in some way, and he certainly deserves very great credit for the ability and pertinacity of his criticism through the long sitting. The' Minister, who was in a much moro conciliatory mood than usual, accepted a few amendments, but they do not amount to very much. Wo wish we could belove amount to as much aB MB. Wilford appeared to think in his thu-d-reading speech. Clause 3' as-presented to tho House gave the Minister power to order any "alterauons,. repairs, or additions" of any und._ The Minister agreed to forgo the right to order additions, but he is still able to order such alterations as would make even additions a less costly inconvenience. Wo can see no other amendment that really lessens in any material degree the success of thtf Minister in capturing such rights of inspection, control, command, interference, and harassment as will enable the Government to do practically, everything in connection ! with tho tramways except pay for the cost of running. them. Under the Bill as it'stands, the Minister controls the examination and supervises the appointment of employees; he can order tho Corporation to place cars at his disposal at any time; ho can order any alteration or addition of any kind that occurs to him; he can hold up tho whole system if he chooses; he can condemn any car he pleases; and, finally, he can issue an order over-riding" any Order-in-Council already existing. Be can destroy the charter upon which the cjty proceeded with its undertaking. He can burden the tramways with such restrictions as will cause a heavy loss to the citiIn short, the Bill gives the Minister power to ruin the system' if he chooses, and there can be no appeal against his whims. Nobody suggests that tho Minister will do all this; but it is obvious that no Bill can be anything but abominable that leaves wide open the way to such possibilities. Greater, to our mind, than the practical evils contained • in tho Bill is the evil of '■ the principle which it involves-the principle that the Government may seize for its own party ends the powers ot the local authorities., Havin" made this large beginning with the process of directly confiscating the rights of the municipalities in respect of the tramways, the Government will certainly go on to push its invasion still further, and to take out of the hands of the city its control of the other municipal undertakings. Tho aim of the. Government is perfectly plain: it hopes in time if it is spared, to force the municipalities to hand over their undertakings and so enlargo the snhere of its patronage. The Hon. B." M'Kenzie probably has never heard of J. S. Mill, and so he will not appreciate Mill's opinions upon centralisation by tho Government. Other people however, will bo glad to be reminded of what Mill regarded as "the most cogent reason for- restricting tho interference of Government" namely, "the great evil of adding unnecessarily to its power." "Every function ■ superadded to thoso already exercised by the Government," Mill wrote in his famous essay on Liberty, "causes its influence over hopes and fears to be more widoly diffused, and converts, more and moro, the active and ambitious part of the public into hangers-on of the Government." Mill also observes, after treating of the importance of local freedom, that "a Government cannot have too much of tho kind of activity which does not impede, but aids and stimulates, individual exertion and development The mischief begins -when, instead of calliijj-

forth the activity and powers of individuals and bodies, it substitutes its own activity for theirs; when, , instead of informing, advising, and. upon occasion, denouncing, it makes them work in fetters, or bids them stand aside, and does their work instead of them." It is too much to hope that tho Legislative Council will destroy the Bill, and we must therefore accept, without resignation however, as bad a principle as has over appeared on our Statute Books. In the meantime the people of Wellington, and.all those who value local government, will keen in mind the necessity for ridding Itself of a Government that holds such principles and uses such means to force thorn into law.