LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3065, 23 April 1881, Page 3

LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

[To the Edetoe of the Daily Telegraph.] Sir,—The time fixed for the next meeting of the General Assembly is fast approaching, and our three members having addressed us I presume now is the time for the public to give an expression of their opinion as to what is requisited for the better manpgement of our affairs. Now, Sir, I will, with your permission, give my ideas, and I trust others will do the same, so that out of a multitude of advisers some good result may be arrived at. In the first place I would have but one governing local body to each district; let each district be enlarged as near aa possible to the former Bize of the old provincial district, but with good natural and not ideal boundaries ; let each . local body have the management of their own waste lands, public works, charitable aid, hospitals, municipalities, and education. The great curse, every one must allow, in the colonies is that we are over governed. By having only one local governing power we would do away with those expensive institutions Mayor, attending Councillors, and staff and officials; Waste Lands Board, Commissions, and secretary ; County Council, members, and .three staffs of officials; Charitable Aid and Hospital Committee; and, lastly, Education Board and staff of offices. And I would give you in lieu thereof one local body similar to a County Council, divided ridings, the member of the said body to be composed of persons returned from each riding, who would therefore be able tojrepresent the wants of the entire districts, both as regards waste lands, public works, charitable aid, hospitals, municipalities, and education, The administration of the waste lands would be decided on at the sitting of the local body, and managed at the head office. Public works could be managed as now by the assistance of road boards, imder the control and guidance of the local body, who would administer and Vote all supply for county roads at tbe same time. I would advocate one valuai tion to be made by the head office for the whole district. If any road board considered the valuation too high they need only strike a rate of 6d or 3d in the £, and so rate themselves according to their requirements. The management of charitable aid and hospitals should also be under the control of the local body at the head office. There would then be a responBible head—at present responsibility rests on no one, —and it would be the duty of the members of tbe local body to legislate for the proper management of these establishments. The management of the municipal body would merge into the local body, and its duties could be performed in a similar manner by the members of the riding, of which Napier would be one, returning two members, taking the place of Councillors, Mayor, and staff. The question of education, in my view, would be more properly legislated upon by the General Assembly, and funds provided for its support from the consolidated revenue, but the management should be left to the local body, the members of the ridings taking the place of the Education Board and its staff, excepting the Inspector of Schools, who should be as now subject to the control of the General Government. I have given you my idea of amalgamating offices and having only one responsible head where there are at present several, and one staff of clerks where there are several, all united under one head, all administered by one set of men elected by the whole district, and representing all their varied wants and requirements. Now as regards funds. I have mentioned, when on the subject of public works, that I would advocate one valuation for the whole district as far as road boards were concerned I would now reiterate that statement. There should be one valuation roll made out, and it should be assessed at a rate to be decided upon by the local body as a means of obtaining a general fund for administering all the foregoing departments now merged in one. For tax ourselves we must, and when we have to put our hands into our pockets it will be the plain duty and pleasure of every one to see that our money is expended to the best advantage, and that we need not tax ourselves for one penny more than we require.—l am,

Old Settler

Napier, April 23, 1881