The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, NOV. 17, 1885. The Counties Act

Feilding Star, Volume VII, Issue 68, 17 November 1885, Page 2

The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, NOV. 17, 1885. The Counties Act

Now that the statutes of last session have been published, it is desirable to say something abont the new Counties Act. The first thought to us in glancing at it was that it showed very cloarly that it is imperative that we should have a new Consolidating Counties Act as soon as possible. This is especially the ease with the laws regulating local government. Local bodies are usually composed of men of no great legal knowledge, and they are not in a position which enables them to keep lawyers at their elbows at every step they take. Tho Canterbury Press in an article on this question says — The new Counties Act deals with only two important matters of principle. Though it contains forty-four sections, all the sections after the first three are of very minor importance. By the first three sections it is provided that no new counties can be constituted except by speoial Act, that county boundaries cannot be altered except by special Act, and that hereafter the operation of the Act shall not be capable of being suspended in any county. These provisions are not, however, intended to prevent the union of any existing or future counties. These are very important principles. Of course the effect will be to strengthen the oounty system somewhat at the expense of the Road Board system. *We have always held the view that it was desirable, as far as possible, to let the ratepayers settle their boundaries for themselves, and decide for themselves whether they would work the county system or the Road Board system, or both combined. We have thought it more consistent with a desire for local selfgovernment to let the ratepayers fight these questions out amongst themselves rather than by log-rolling on the floor of Parliament. And we still maintain that there was more of real local selfgovernment in the County Act of 1882 than in these provisions. Nevertheless we have never been able to deny that there were great evils connected with the constant alterations of boundaries, and of systems which were encouraged by thus leaving the matter wholly to the ratepayers. If the effect of this new Act will be to make the ratepayers refrain from constantly splitting up their districts, and gradually allow county boundaries to harden into permament government divisions, we shall not regret the passing of this Act.