MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1691, 6 March 1913, Page 5

MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT.

MR, FISHER'S OPINIONS,;'!■ (By Telegraph.-l>rcs« Association.) , . Auckland,' March 5. Unqualified condemnation of tli3*»y»u>ia by which the- control of 'municipal iMirs is entrusted to elective councils was given by the' Minister for, Customs (tlio Hon. F. M. 13. Fisher.) during an interview last evening, 110 spolie witli confidence of the progress of Auckland ami of its future, and then, discussing from an impersonal standpoint the iueliiod>-of municipal administration, lie declared that important municipal ventures must bsiore long be. placed under independent control of experts. Incidentally he expressed, the that jtlie Government must sOilii'-inU'st'tlie police with absolute control of ail.,-city .traffic;: "If : I" may venture an opinion," the Minister continued, "I do not think I lie day is very far distant in New Zealand when , even municipal, councils, will l;o wiped out of existence. We cumjnf liavo our rapidly-growing cities contioll, il ' by .councils,, and in . saying, this I did ■not : speak' in a personal tense regarding Auckland'or any other city council, but I'do not think; we. >hall .be. able vcryMiuich longer'to. tolerate a system by 'which a largo .'utihiber.rbf mill are elected"to fake control of great"' municipal uiidorlakiji.is of which they know nothing. Common •sense and necessity will"force us to realist' that such .great/enterprises, as tramway's''and lighting of strcus in our cities, water- supply, drainage;* mid road formation must bo under control of experts, and not iuniler" control I 'of "'nieti whusc business it is to earn popular opiujoK. by' prescribing, a policy 'that will bring a liiunieip'il,venture, to 'ruin. We have s\":n in so'many eitipsi-ii'lemUncv oil the part of councillors in order to obtain popularity lo increase wages and benefit? to the public, and - by those means to undermine the success, of, -jur, .iuunioipal, ventures. This p-.:!iey J w-'ll have't'J lie stopped for we must run our big cities..nii business lines, and unite them p«v if Ihev are ijoing to yrow. To lalte thc'pli'ceof municipal councils an entirelv■ tlitleijiuit system must be ! nlr- <!i»cnl. Juste ill :if having one eitv engineer, whose'business it is to control very irany, ventures, :wo shall have to have a number' of. export? ■or tru£t:rs to manage our affairs,'.iippqinied in sainewhai the .value manner as the trustees'.of' the Sydney H.-irlnur Trust, a huge concern, which I believe, managed by three men. There would- lie a man in clrme of Irnmwa.Vs,' 1 ii. hiaM'in charge "of lighting," a third iir tliarge'of wntorr'und drainage, and n fourth in chargcof footpaths ami rcnd-vand e'ininlieling. Every in,in would liavu to b: an expert, and. .anyone win wu.i found unfilled for his work would l:e .lipped ■•.mt of it. An expert kuowns lie'iuiim irike his job a successful financial enterpii,-o. It will not pay him t< vast* for the piirpo-oof getliir; .voles, mi- I.) ;x----tend benefits' to the public unl.'l a strain i» imposed on the venture Dial imperils its existence. 1 think >01110 such chime will have to bo made in.Xnv Zealand." "■I hope the result of this iiilerv'ew will not hurt anybodyV'. fce)in<r>," ?rd Mr. Fis|ier in. conclusion, '.'bill will Simulate some of the local authorities to do -perhaps a, little better than ■ they, -no doiuj at presenl."