THE MOUSE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1239, 22 September 1911, Page 7

THE MOUSE.

VARIOUS LOCAL BILLS

CUTTING UP COUNTIES,

The House met at 2.30 p.m., and after transacting general business adjourned ■until 7.u0 j>.ui. as a mark of respect to the memory of the late Mr. l< , . K. i'latiuan, a former member, who died yesteday morning. The following local Bills were raid a third time and passed:—Sir Donald H'Lcnn .Memorial Park Bill (Mr. Brown); Greytown 'Town Lands ,and Hospital Lands Exchange Bill (JJr. Buciuiuan) ; Oamaru Municipal Excliange and Market Reserve- Leasing Bill (Hon. T. iJiincan); 'Wanganui Harbour Board Vesting Bill (Mr. Hogan).

Mr. D. M'LAREN asked that the' Weilington City Empowering and Amendment Jiill should bo allowed to stand over for a week owing to tho abs2n:e through illness of Mr. T. M. Wilford, member tor Hutt, who is in cha-rge of the Bill. This was agreed to. i MOUNT HUTT COUNTY BILL. Sir. C- A. C. HARDY (Selwyn) moved the second reading of tho Mount Hntt ffunty.BilL He staled that.the Mount Hutt district dc?ired to havo local government owing to their illation from the centra of Ashburton County. If tho Government had brought down their'promised Local Government Bill there would have been no necessity to introduce this Bill. All \ J\ P^,? 5 ™ 1 ' Wshburton) moved that the Bill bo read n second time that day six months. Hβ had been asked to tako this course by a. majority of tho people o: the Ashburton electorate. Tho Mount Hntt people were just as well treated as any others in tho Ashburton electorate. Mr. G. V. PEARCE (Patea) seconded the amendment. He remarked that tho recent Counties' Conference had protested -against the continual cutting up of counties which had boon coin? on of late. It was going back to tho old road board system. One resolution passed by tho conforence was tint no county should, be crrarrd wilh a valuation of less than .£2,000,000. It ra held that z smaller county could not afford to employ a competent man as engineer. The Government system of subsidies was n direct encouragement to tho creation of small local bodies. The conference had held that this was wrong, and that an even system of subsidies should replace that now in vogue. Mr. G. WITTY (Riccarton) supported tho Bill. The resolution as to a valuation of .C 2,000,000 passed at tlia Counties' Conference had been brought up by tho Ashburton County to block this Bill. Mr. Pcarce stated that the resolution had been introduced by Patc-a Countv. Mr. Witty stated '-hat the present valuation of the proposed county was .'.1,300,000, and it had not been revalued for years. Road board management was cheaper thau county luauitgnaenti

Mr G. ANDERSON (Mataura) stated that he would oppose the B ; !l as a motost against the failure of tho Government to brins down their Local Government Bill.

Mr. H. G. ELL (Christchurch South) ridiculed tho idea that tho people of any locality should submit to hard and fo>t rules, imposed by Parliament, as to tho subdivision of local government districts. Ttio nearest boiimlarv of tho Mount llutt district to the administrative offices of tho Aslibiirton County was fifteen miles dis^ Mr. H. J. n. OKEV (Tarauaki) contended that tho House should tako the advice of the Local Bills Committee and reject tho Bill. Tho House was making a great mistako in cutting up counties ami not considering community of interest. The amendment was rejected, and tho second reading was carried by 38 votes to 20. OTHER LOCAL BILLS. Mr. G. LAURENSON (Lyttelton) moved the second reading of the Heathcote Coiintv Boundary Bill. Mr. G. WITT*' (Riccarton) stafed-that he would call for a division. This was a 'case of one county .seeking to take part of the" * area of another county without tho latter's' consent. After further discussion the second readin* was carried bv 4i votes to 15. Mr. T. H. DAVEY (Christchurch East) moved the second reading of the City of Christchurch Empowering Bill. He stated that the first part dealt with an old loan. In the second part the city sought power to borrow not more than .£SOOO for street widening purposes. L* more money were required, a poll would be taken. The second reading was carried on tho The' Hon. T. MACKENZIE moved the second reading of tho llosgiel Borough Empowering Bill. Tlia second reading was carried on tli voices. The Awatere County Bill (Mr, J. Duncan) was read a. second time. Mr. MASSEY moved the. second reading of the Pranklin and Manukau Counties Bill. The motion was carried. On the motion of tho Hon. D. BUDDO, the Ashley Subdivision ami the Waimaka-riri-Ashley Water Supply Board Bill was read a second time. A discussion on tho new Vancouver mail sorvico followed. This is reported ■ elsewhere. Tho House rose at 11.20 p.m.