NEW ZEALAND COUNTIES’ ASSOCIATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22985, 14 September 1936, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND COUNTIES’ ASSOCIATION

LOCAL BODY AMALGAMATION At a recent meeting of the executive of the New Zealand Counties’ Association, the question of local body administration was discussed, and the following points emphasised:— 1. That the association approved of amalgamation of local bodies where economies could be effected without loss of efficiency. 2. That, as a first step, the merging of small administrative bodies operating within counties might well be effected. 3. That in order to provide an impartial investigation, a commission of inquiry be set up. According to the 1936 Official Year Book, the number of active local bodies at March 31, 1935, was 679, which included both urban and rural organisations. The rural organisations which may be affected in the process of amalgamation are:—

, Owing to the duplication of staff and plant, the association considered that some economies could be effected in the absorption of the minor local bodies, such as rabbit boards, drainage boards, river boards, and road boards. The following table sets out the number of administrative staff, together with their salaries, in the rural boards;—

When internal absorption of the minor bodies was completed, 256 staff employees, earning £21,734 per annum, would appear, to be affected, but as many of these would be absorbed by the controlling authority in each county, the economies would probably fall far short of what might be expected. Members of the executive were emphatic in stating that local bodies would not make any amalgamation move of their own accord, and that an investigation by some impartial committee was thus necessary to bring the whole of the local bodies into line. About four years ago the association asked all county councils to discuss the matter of amalgamation as it would affect each county. A general summing up of these discussions indicated that internal amalgamation should proceed first, whilst the smaller counties were decidedly opposed to external amalgamation. During the executive meeting it was pointed out that section 2, Counties Amendment Act, provided for the amalgamation of counties, if (a) the county councils of the counties proposed to be united had passed a special order recommending that the counties should be united so as to form one county; fb) a commission recommended that any counties be united to form one county.

County councils .. .. Rabbit boards Land drainage boards .. .. 52 River boards .. 44 Electric power boards .. .. 41 Town boards (dependent) .. 26 Road boards .. 16 363

March 31, 1930. March 31. 1935. Staff. Salaries. £ Staff. Salaries. £ County councils . .. 500 151.501 555 130,237 Jlabblt boards 55 5.501) 02 3.430 Land drainage boards 74 5.199 50 4,21!) Ulver boards 58 7.657 57 8.351 Llectric power boards 511 119.925 511 121.351 Dependent town boards 34 2.203 35 2.438 Hoad boards 35 5.744 29 3.200 1.27G 297.918 1.305 279,325