LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1833, 20 August 1913, Page 6

LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM.

Tile Annual Conference of the Counties' Association, which opened yesterday, enabled the Minister of internal Affairs to make it quite dear that the Government has not been idle in the matter of Local Government Reform. Mr. Bell apparently did not feel that he was justified in anticipating the Prime Minister's announcement of the policy of the Government, but ii was plain that despite the multiplicity of matters winch Ministers have had to deal with in the short time they have been in office the question of local government has not been neglected. Some of the difficulties to be overcome were pointed out to the Conference by the Minister and the delegates were invited to give a lead to Parliament on disputed points concerning which their opinion must carry _weight. The fact that the Counties Bill, a first instalment of Local Government Reform, is to be placed beforo the Conference to-mor-row for consideration affords reasonable ground for hope that the Government is well forward with its proposals, and does not intend to follow the methods of its predecessors in office. For nearly 20 years the Continuous Ministry made glib promises of Local Government Reform, and yet v<ent out of office without accomplishing anything in the direction promised.