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The Dominion. THURSDAY, JULY 16, ,1914. MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT

a ;— ' Some idea-of the importance'' of the Municipal Association of New Zealand, v>iuch opened its thirteenth Conference on Tuesday, may '' be gathered from the fact that no .fewer than'los'boroughs and 46 town districts are affiliated with it. Its biennial' Congress is a kind of Municipal Parliament; and,- though it has no legislative powers, its discissions and recommendations cannot fair to have'a' far-reaching influence in shaping the future ,of our-cities and towns, besides keeping before the Legislature >■ the views of the municipalities in matters specially affecting local These Congresses also help to widen the sphere of co-operation among the affiliated bodies in various matters of mutual concern, and to secure as largo a measure of uniformity _of action as is compatible with special circumstances and' varying conditions. .The general interchange of ideas should also have useful results. It is good for delegates to know how things 'are ■ done elsewhere, and to •learn how to profit by the success or failure of experiments in other centres in the sphere of municipal .government. Town-planning is one of the latest and most promising lines of progress, and a glance at the. President's report gives some idea [ of the, great variety of questions which the Conference and its Committees are called upon to consider. These includo legislation regarding plumbers' registration, shops' and offices, rating, local elections, noxious weeds, slaughtering, valuation of land, workers' dwellings, and other measures which have a, bearing upon the' growth and improvement of the centres of population. The opinion of the Conference on all matters of this ; character must, of course, be of great, value to .the Government in the passing of legislation, beo'ause it comes from experts—men whose practical experience enables them to. speak with authority as to the probable effect of measures providing for new departures in municipal , government or civic enterprise. The people of New Zealand have every reason to bo grateful to the men who have devoted so much of their time and: thought to the everincreasing work of local government both in town and country. Generally speaking a very fine type of men has always been found ready to undertake this duty. - Public spirit still abounds, although there are people who hold that it does not show as much' vitality in these times as it; did in days gone by. Comparisons of this kind arc very apt to be misleading, and the _ intangible nature of the facts on which they are based makes it almost impossible to draw clear-cut conclusions from them. Some people always place the golden age in' the past, while others expect to find 1 it in _the good time coming. Others again remind us that the present time is the life of man, and contend that there never was a more glorious age than that in which our own lot is cast. His Excellency the Governor had a few words to say upon this point in opening the Conference. He remarked that, since ho had come to New Zealand, he had often heard leading citizens refer to the question whether future generations are going to take the same interest in local affairs as their predecessors. It certainly does seem that the young men of to-day are rather backward in preparing themselves to take an active and intelligent part in thia very important sphere of public duty, but whether they are actually more backward tlian the young men of former days it is very difficult to say. In any caEo everyone will agree with His Excellency when lie insists on the need of making our young people realise their responsibilities in this matter, and of creating a more lively public interest in all matters concerning the'good government of the State. Many people appeal' to think that their responsibility begins , nnd ends with the

oxerc'se of the right to vote. But. this is a serious mistake, for as Loud Liverpool points out, a community cannot bo well and efficiently organised unless its citizens do all in their power to support their chosen delegates in maintaining the highest possible standard of administration; The interest of citizens in municipal affairs should become a habit, and not merely express itself in a little, excitement once a year on election day. A keen and well-informed public opinion is one of the best safeguards against slackness and negligence in the management of the business of the General Government or of the local authorities, and if the people want to be well governed it is their plain duty to show that, they themselves place a high value on their rights of citizenship. They should also remember that citizenship has its duties as well as its privileges.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19140716.2.22

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2203, 16 July 1914, Page 6

Word count
Tapeke kupu
784

The Dominion. THURSDAY, JULY 16, ,1914. MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2203, 16 July 1914, Page 6

The Dominion. THURSDAY, JULY 16, ,1914. MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2203, 16 July 1914, Page 6

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