LOCAL BODIES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1432, 6 May 1912, Page 7

LOCAL BODIES.

THE COMING CONFERENCE. mi;. i;rssKi,i.,\s intentions. lo a DnjiiXiux reporter last Xaturduy, tin- Hon. (.;. \\\ U;;-. e l! (Mini,. *'/'' "."' ' Air,iir-)>iiid that he hoped ">'■ 1 ,01-ii 1 liovcriiinciil (.'unioroiice, which >■- I" open 1111 Tin mI.-iv, May I], would b. , -concluded on the following L-riday. T , nutice. ' In, toiitinueil, "that Mr. Jiil "".v ">• rcnoi'li'd lo have said at the iMiilcreiic. of .icl.-uics at Auckland that ll" was slri.nt'ly 0pp,,,«l (0 the limiting "1 the Aiitkliiuil district representatives lo m;vcii men, and that if the- conference uere lo b, of ; ,,iy value at ail every local uoily -lioiild have a representative present. -Now t,u;re ;iru within the Auckland HO3p.uil JJi.-triut live counties, eleven boruiiKlis (liieliului" the city of Auckland), six_(uwii lii.-lriuts, of) road districts, three ilriiniiige disincts, three harbour boards, one ,m. district, one water supply district, and also (no J-diication Board, mnkiiit' a lulal bl iwdies. Surely .Air. Ifasiey ««s lai-vin;,' [ib.-olule nonsense when ho Hurt one ilistsict ahme should sfiicl bit representatives to a conference lor hie purpose oi considering local Wv-ei-nmeiit riiiestions. There are .iltc?filuT w- local authorities operating in the dominion, and (he very ~ that a iwileivnee of upwards of BOU men should Do called ior the purpose of discussing a Local (vjverniiieiit Bill shows how ut"ler.y wnntin ff Mr. Jlassey is in « -en-;-oi projiortiou in regard to this crent qiif.-.iioii.

•'Hie repriseiiiarkni lias been laid down, as nearly as possible on a population i-'nsi--. llio .\lleklnml Hospital District comprise, a iiopulatiou of about 141,000. I nope u-s seven delegates will represent all iniercst-. V, hat 1 am hoping i'ov is that men who are experienced in the work of i'r c ", 1 . SoverniiiPiit, whether as members hi 1 nriiamrut, cimirnit-n of county councils or road boards or as iu other public capacities, will be sent to assist the conliTence 111 forming conclusions. I ni-.iy >ay (hat the final responsibility for tlie measure will rest in the first instance upon the Government, and in Iliu second I'pan Parliament. The conference is for the purpose of seeking counsel and odvice from gentlemen of experience in the work of lottil povcruuien{, and I hope tlisre will ]-e full and free discussion. I shall propose that the conference divide itvlf into siMiul committee*, dealing rjparately with such questions as the functions of local gnvcnimcnt, by-laws and regulations, ami linance. T think that by seltinst sections of the conference to iv«rk on these special aspects, ive should obtain, within a few days, valuable reports which can te applied fo the construction o-' the Bill. At the present, time, special efforts are t-aiiiEt made by the officers nuclei , v.ii to obtain a thoroush grasp of flic subject by a study cf the legislation of Ciro.it Britain, New' South Wales. Victoria, and South Australia. The work before me is a very large contract to bo pei'lonnod in a very short lime, but I hone that the Bill "ill be ready for submission to Parliament when it meets at the end of June."