INCREASES IN COST OF GOVVERNMENT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3716, 12 November 1927, Page 3

INCREASES IN COST OF GOVVERNMENT.

TOO MANY LOCAL AUTHORITIES. The increasing cost of State and local Government administration was discussed by the Legislative Council on Thursday on a motion by Sir Robert Stout expressing the opinion that the Executive s ; hould during the recess consider the need of remodelling the local goyernment machinery in the direction of establishing district councils with wide powers over large areas so that centralised government and its growing cost might not be increased, but that real economic and efficient local self-government might be promoted and strengthened.

‘ (Sir Robert Stout said that increases in the cost of government with the increase in population must be expected, but he held that the former were out of all proportion to the second. He cited the ease of the Education Department, saying that in it there had been a huge increase of officials, especially in the head office. The saqie thing had happened in the Treasury Department and the High Commissioner’s Department. Over £25,000 was paid in salaries to the clerical' section of the London office of tlie High Commissioner, as against something over £17,000 for the Australian High Commissioner’s clerical staff. The Legislative Department also showed a great increase. The classified offices of the Government Departments numbered 7085, and their salaries amounted to over £2,000,000, representing an increase of over 50 per cent, in salaries since 1900. There were far too many local bodes in the y Dominion. The cost of salaries of officials of local bodies amounted to over £18,000,000. He thought the cost of local government could be decreased by amalgamating many of the 8000 to 9000 local bodies. Drastic retrenchment and some cessation of increases in taxation could be affected by means of district councils. The Hon. J. A. Hannan seconded the motion: He said centralisation had been carried too far. Sir James Allen advocated the preparation of a report to enable the people to judge whether the costs and expenditure of local government and in regard to Government loans; etc., were excessive. The Hon. W. Earnsliaw opposed the motion. At this stage the debate was adjourned.