OUR MEMBERS ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3121, 29 June 1881, Page 3

OUR MEMBERS ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

(From N. Z. Times Parlianientfy Report.)

Mr Oraiond was one of those who considered that hon. members should take the first opportunity afforded them of discussing the all important question of local selfgovernment. Ho had been exceedingly disappointed that the question had not been more fully dealt with in the Governor's Speech. There were grave questions connected with the motion —reform of local self-government, revision of taxation, and consideration of the public works. What had the country got in the shape of local government, and did the provisions meet the requirements of the country ? They had municipalities, Eoad Boards and County Councils. With regard to municipalities he did riot intend to touch on them on the present occasion. The functions of Eoad Boards and Counties were confined to road making principally, but their functions and interests clashed, and in six counties the Councils tried to absorb the Road Boards. There were cases in "which Councils had announced that they would not continue to maintain the main trunk roads, thus abrogating their special functions. This was evidence that these councils were not performing their work properly, and this appeared to be the view entertained by the majority of the people. Our first step towards reform would be decentralisation from the General Government, and, in addition, they must provide means whereby the local bodies might govern themselves. His idea to make the scheme effective would be that revemies arising from taxation were to be used for the support of local bodies. But how were they to become decentralised, and what powers were they to confer upon the local bodies ? The first step would be to encourage the leading men of the country and the districts to come forward and take part in the governing of these local bodies. With regard to the title these bodies should assume, he thought that that of counties should not be used, as in consequence of their unpopularity the new bodies would be heavily handicapped by using this name. He thought that the local governments should assume the direction and control of the Waste Lands Boards, and he would suggest that all these bodies should be abolished and their functions handed over to the local governments. The people at present had no power at all, no voice in these Waste Lands Boards. In his opinion the powers of the nominees of the Waste Lands Boards should be transferred to local governing bodies, and thus the people would have a voice on the subject, which they were all deeply interested in. Everywhere complaints were made that that wa3 not done and this was not done, or that which was done was done improperly. He did not blame the Hon. the Ministex* for Lands, who was not responsible so much as was the system. There were Eoad Boards and Education Boards in the country, but he was not one to say that the latter named Boards did not do their duty, but he did think that the local bodies would, be the best bodies to control the Education Boards. There were School Boards whose duties might be relegated to the local bodies, who might also have control of the charitable aid fund, &c. Railway control was a much more difficult matter to deal with than any of the other questions he had alluded to, but this he would say, that local requirements in regaivJ to railway matters would be more advantageously supervised by local governments than by the General Government in Wellington. At present the boundaries of a Eoad Board could not be amended except by this House. Should a Eoad Board require a piece of land on the confines of another Eoad Board, applications would have to be made to the Government, who, after making inquiries from the other board interested, would probably return an answer declining to alter the boundaries. Under the present central government there was no chance of obtaining redress for any grievance. It was different under the old system of Provincialism. Who among the many were able to put in a concise form the question of reserves ? An applicant on this subjoct at present forwarded a letter to the Government, who in the course of tiaio returned an answer that the letter had been received and thus the matter ended, unless the applicant went cap in hand to the Minister of the day. The objection which might be made " How are you going to provide for local governments ?" then arose. Last session the Government brought down a measure dealing with the subject in which provision was made by the Treasurer out of the land fund, and also granted Councils limited powers to levy a rate. He maintained that the taxes raised by local governments and spent in the districts in which they were levied would be far better than the amounts provided by the General Goernment. Closely connected with local government were the public works of the colony, which may be said to be nearly at a stand-still at present. He thought the public works might be fairly left to be dealt with by local governments. He now came to the question, was it likely that the present Parliament would deal satisfactorily with those great questions ? Let them look at the outcome of last session. Was it satisfactory ? (No, no.) This being so, he thought it would be no use to attempt reform of local government this session. Nor indeed was it right that this Parliament should so deal with the matter. It would be far better to pass the necessary Bills, grant supplies, and then prorogue. Mr Sutton did not altogether agree with the statement of the hon. member for Clivethat the County Councils had been a failure. So far as the Hawke's Bay Council was concerned, he would assert that the general opinion was that the county system waa an improvement upon provincialism. The new system, as proposed, would compel the retention of Highway Boards, and he believed that any new system would prove more costly than the one at present in force. He did not think it would be advisable to hand over the entire management of the Waste Lands Boards to local governments — indeed, under tho present system the people were more satisfied than they were under tho old one of managing the waste lands of the colony. He thought that it would be better to amalgamate Eoad Boards and County Councils, whose interests at present clashed. He thought both Crown lands and native lands should be rated just the same as private lands, and if this were done he considered that local bodies could, in a measure, be recouped for the outlay they were put to.