AMALGAMATION OPPOSED

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 75, 15 April 1937, Page 6

AMALGAMATION OPPOSED

-Own v/orrespondent.)

Local Bodies and Rabbit Boards A CHANGE DANGEROUS

tBr

Telegraph-

FEILDING, This Day. At yesterday's annual meeting of the North Island Rabbit Board' s Association the proposed Amalgamation of Local Bobies. Bill was discussed when the chairman, Mr B. N. Sandilands (Feilding), said that the question had been the subject of considerable correspondence from the rabbit boards of the North and South Islands. The consensus of opinions appeared to be opposed to amalgamation with any otber local body and if amalgamation were insisted upon by the Governmentj then rabbit boards would prefer linking up among themselves, but certainly not with oounty councils. Mr C. E. Johnston ^Cheltenham Board) moved on behalf of the executive of the association the following remit : "That the control of rabbits will only be effective when carried out by boards elected for that purpose." That view, he suggested, was the only logical stand to take up. The South Island view of the question was expressed by Mr RittsonThomas, of Marlborough, who said that the South Island Rabbit Boards' As-. sociution was definitely against amalgamation. . The cliief objectio-ns included >he view that amalgamation would rt.sult in the loss of the use of local knowledge. This was essential to the eucoessful operation of the boards. Members of any central controllmg board would lose. efEective touch witli the situation. . Different- types of country required different treatment and only local knowledge could effec'tively deal with this. Overhead expenses, he said, would not be reduced as the same number of inspectors would be required. Some boards at. present employed part-time sOcretaries whereas under amalgamation full-tim© secretaries would be required and. travelling expenses of the central board' s. repxesentatives would increase. Complicated rating, owing to the varying dcgre© of the pest in amalgamated areas, would be difficult. Only local knowlegde could 'determine this. In the' dront of county councils taking over rabbit boards the thouglit was prompted that many boards would avail themselves of section. 91 of the Rabbit Nuisance Act and request the Minister to carry out part 1 of the Act. The conference unanimously adopted the resolution and without discussion voiced its approval of the following further rexnits on the question : — "That. while is can be cqnsidered advantageous on principle to amalgamate bodies of identical interests, any proposal to amalgamate bodies of entirely divergent functions should be viewed with grave concern and that it he a recommendatio-n to neighihouring boards to confer at an early date with a view to amalgamation within suitable areas." — East Waikato Rabbit Board. "That in any. scheme of amalgamation of local bodies introduced, rabbit boards be exempted from amalgamating with any other local body than another rabbit Iboard." — Apiti-Pohangina Rabbit Board.