MAYOR'S REPLY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1692, 7 March 1913, Page 3

MAYOR'S REPLY.

TO MR. FISHER. MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT. . BUSINESS LINES. ' (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Auckland, March 6. Referring to the Hon. P. M. B. Fisher's remarks yesterday regarding municipal government, the Mayor of Auckland (Mr. Parr) said it was very obvious that Jlr. Fisher did not know what he was talking about. The Minister spoke about.the need for important city services being under the control of experts. A short reply to Mr. Fisher was that already all the big municipal departments in Auckland were controlled by experts under tho council. At present there was, to his mind, a happy combination of expert and local authority. The. best of experts needed someone to keep tlieni in check or to spur them on occasionally. An elective council furnished the necessary stimulus. The honourable gentleman would abolish the council and leave the expert to boss the show. The people of Auckland at least w ero not likely to givo up the priceless book of self-government for such a fantastic scheme as Mr. Fisher promulgated. Mr. Fisher urged that the cities s/iould be run on "business lines." It would bo time cuough for-Ministers to give advico when they proved that they knew how to run the country on business lines. Was the spending of linlf a million in putting a tunnel through the Alps defensible as a business proposition? Was tho building of hundreds of cottages for workmen to bo let at 18s. and XI per week good business?—and so on ad infinitum one could quote the fatuity i.nd inciliciency of Government management. Jlr. Fisher could not bo taken seriously. Tho Minister had had no experience whatever of the municipal government that he ventured with such confidence to criticise. If Jlr. Fisher had put in a dozen s ; cars on somo city council he would be better equipped for his work than he was today. As it was, the people would only say: "Oh, it is just Mr. Fisher, he has broken out agaiii." •

OPINIONS OF THE MAYOR OP ■ CIIIUSTCHURCH. ■ Christchurch, March G. The Mayor (Mr. 11. Holland),-interview-, ed regarding the Hon. 1:'. M. B. Fisher s remarks at Auckland regarding elective municipal bodies,, said he would agree, with ill'. Fisher if that gentleman urged' the appointment of experts by the Government to small boroughs which could not allord to pay high salaries to professional men, but ho thought that tho Minister's'remarks wore quite inapplicable to large centres. He did not think that control by Government officers would be acceptable to.the people or • satisfactory to anybody. It .was an American idea, and ill that country some municipalities seemed to favour control by commissioners. In New Zealand, however, different ideas and sentiments prevailed, and he was confident that citizens here would not tolerate any proposal which would rob them of the rights and privileges they enjoyed. The Christchurch Tramway Board was nil illustration of the way in which municipal control succeeded. That body managed the tramways much better than they could be managed by Government officers. Just now the board was not paying a dividend, if lie might put it.that way, but that was 011 account of tho enormous increase in wages brought about by tho decision of the Arbitration Court, and the same conditions would have existed if there had been Government control. As a matter of fact, 110 did not think that the board's position was nearly as acuto as it was represented to be, and ho felt that it was a subject for regret that tho position should be made to look so bad, as it was a reflection upon citizens. On the Christchurch Fire Board on the other hand the Government, through its representative, held' the balance of power, v and he certainly thought that the position there was not as satisfactory as the position of tho'lramway Board. • •