Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1895. THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 60, 7 September 1895, Page 2

Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1895. THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL.

* Now that we have had time to digest this Bill, we propose to offer a few remarks on the more important clauses. We are afraid the Bill does not improve on a closer acquaintance The preface to it is an interesting document. It commences by reciting that the Bill aims at pruning and simplifying tbe present system of local Government. That the number of local bodies in New Zealand exceeds 550. That the cost of management alone exceeds £107,000 a year. That some local bodies spent 60 per cent of their total revenue on administrative expenses, and, as members are rather dull of comprehension, it kindly adds " that is to say, it costs £60 to collect £100." We are not told where these wonderful local bodies and the still more wonderful ratepayers who elect them are to be found, and we feel rather dubious about their existence except in some isolated and exceptional caseß. We are dubious, too, about the statement that under the Bill it is anticipated that the coat of administration will be reduced by a ore than one half. Experience teaches that large councils, especially when elected on a low franchise, are sot such sticklers for economy as smaller bodies in more direct touch with their ratepayers. Our doubts are strengthened when we find that the Bill proceeds to effect economy by creating forty permanent Commissioners receiving fees and tr&yelhng expenses fixed at the pleasure »f th/ 9 Minister, by empowering thirty to

forty Chairmen of Councils to receive salaries and travelling expenses not exceeding £500 a year, and three to six hundred councillors to receive 10s a day allowance and travelling expenses not exceeding £100 a year, to say nothing of Inspectors and an Inspector-General to superintend the administration of hospital and charitable aid. However, as we fancy that a desire for economy was not the fans et oru/o of the Bill, we proceed to consider the Bill itself. Division I. together with the second and third schedules, deals with the appointment of four commissions for each island, each commission consisting of one member nominated by the Minister and four members elected by the local bodies interested. We note with alarm that these commissions are to be permanent, members holding office for five years at a time. This seems to imply that the new counties are to be altered from time to timo in wbicli case councils would find it difficult to decide on any definite or far seeing plans for county government, especially as regards raising loans for pub- | lie works. The first duty of the I commissions is to divide each island into not less than fifteen nor more than twenty new counties. They are to consider community of interest and topographical features and as far as possible to follow existing boundaries, but their efforts in this direction are greatly impeded by their being bound down as to number, and by the proviso that each county shall contain a population not less than that of a Parliamentary electorate. We should much prefer to see them given a free hand in the matter. A population basis is decidedly objectionable to work on as regards New Zealand country districts. Thickly populated areas whero the roads and bridges are completed may possibly bo worked better in large areas, but in the newly settled bush districts with a vast extent of roads to be made and where population is often doubled and i trebled in a few years, such a basis is unworkable. Those who remember the old Mauawatu County Council and the neglect shown by it to the back bush districts, will understand our objection. The thickly settled portions of a county will always control the majority of the representation to the detriment of the newly settled portions. We are convinced for instance that the present Kiwitea and Pohangina County Councils can further the cause of settlement far more than if their districts wero simply formed into ridings of a large county with the submerged borough of Feilding thrown in to complete the happy family. Boroughs with leas than 4000 inhabitants are to be merged in the counties in which they are situate, but are to constitute separate ridings, thus Feilding would have probably one representative in a county council containing ten to fifteen country members — happy Feilding. Division II deals with the Executive. Here we come to the real cause of origin of the Bill, which is simply a bid for the votes of " the non property holding classes. No ratepayer, however large his holding, shall heve more than one vote. Every person, male or female, who is, Ist, the occupier of any rateable property under a tenancy of three months, or, 2nd, who is a householder, under any tenancy, residing twelve months in the same or any other part of the county, can claim the right to yote for the election of the chairman and of the Councillor for the riding. Every farmer who employs permanent laborers residing in separate dwellings on his farm would, apparently, thus be out-voted by his own men. The ratepayers who have to pay the bills, and whose properties cannot escape the extra taxation imposed on them, may be out- voted by men who pay no rates, and have no interest in the county. We do not believe that even the pre sent House of Representatives will allow this clause to become law. The chairman is to be elected annually by the votes of the electors of the county, and, as he may receive a salary of £400 a year and travelling allowances the number of needy adventurers considering themselves qualified for the position, will be very large. The fact that once a year they must fight a contested election, equal in magnitude to that of a Parliamentary election, will deter the most capable men from seeking the office. A chairman of a large county needs especially to be a man of great administrative ability and absolute fairness, and should, we think, remain ia office for a much longer time than one year. He would be only just beginning to become acquainted with the needs of the county when he must retire from office, and, as the popular will is fickle, his chances of re-election would be very uncertain. We object to any change in the present mode of election of chairman most strongly. Councillors are elected by the votes of the electors of the various ridings and hold office for two years. The cpuncil shall consist of not more than fifteen, nor less than nine councillors, exclusive of the chairman. We shall refer to the remainder of the Bill at a future time.