The Daily News THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 1904. LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 181, 4 August 1904, Page 2

The Daily News THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 1904. LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM.

Once again the county councils of the colony have held their conference in order to discuss matters pertaining to local government. Willi a persistency and energy that are trulj commendable the association has en•dea\ouredto fulfil the object of its formation ten years a-go ■" to promote efficient local government." At its early conferences the assuclation i considered very fully the Local Government liill then before the country, and sent it back to the Legislature so altered and amended that it was hardly recognisable. Since then six* conferences have been held, costing each county the expeiu*es of its delegates ; and local bodies have been constantly told of the intention 01 the Government to put the recommendations of the aasoci-aUion on tdie colony's statutes and to thus devise a scheme of " aesuivd linance" that would remove many of the dif- , Utilities which now beset the waj of county councils. So far, however, the effect of the mjommwidatioins - t>i these delegates, who lied to deal with sueh'nrauters,, lias been the addition or amemtintjivt-jOi a few clauses in the but 'the great question of " assured linance" is left untouched j the time of the legislators being taken up by enacting unnecessary and \e*aUuus labour laus, lvJigthy «|KVchcH on the .Hmuicial iviateiuant, und, in every sw>siou but the present one,oonfc.dui able airing of doubtful eio-. quence'on the hundred and one s>ub-> lecis treated on. in the Governor b. wpev-ch. The Local Government L}u. luis ii.adifits appearance on occasions in'the liouse of auves, but, beyond eliciting a goiffuueai of information that lwis not since i,vjn usiod,- the debates on important measure were . resultlest>. At the cojninenuenivnt of the piesem ses&on tliv introduction of U'jo Counties .bill gave room lor hope that tJic unsatisfactory state of local governing bodiea' affairs was likely to

Ik; ullcfed, but the bill seemed mainly to provide (or the over-i iding by tiie ilMiister (or Public Works of any bye-luws adopted o.v a count.) council 10 regulate iho licencing oi veliklis. Tin) Counl.es Association has luuicd I'm'a wl of tnoilef b,>luws on this mutter, out tl« uuswci seems to have l.cvn that no sec u. bie-luwß cuu be lramed to meet the conditions of dilierent localities. Surely it i» po:.siule lo formulate a series of bye-laws and ivgulution.s that can be adopted wnolly or in part by councils according iu their varied iK.fi-swi.ti«». At present each county lia.s Its own particular Higulutions, and these are conflicting to an alarming degree. With reg-aiu to powers asked for in tiie diiec-tio-n of allowing counties to acquire land and buildings for recreation purposes, the limu is not yet ripe evidently, and consideration of such recommendations is indefinitely deturrod. On tlw subject of subsidies the Promivr spoke forcibly the other day in reply to a deputation from the Counties Association. It is reported by the New Zealand Times us having siiid that respecting subsidies bis own opinion was that the present system was obsolete, lor the i\Mson that a subsidy upon rates was not eiiii'itable. In some districts tlieie were large ureas of Crown lands, on which no rates were paid. Then, in the wealthiest districts, where the land was of the greatest value-, there was a large amount of money paid in rates, and consequently such (Viwti icts were .entitled to tlis largest subsidies. In such districts, however, the roiids had been ull made u»d completed, and in some instances thfy hod railways, whkh relieved the roads of 1)10 trufliv; ; yet the State had Li go on paying the subsidy. He whs entirely Willi tin- conference in doing nwuy with the subsidies. The I'reniiel' hits struck n nolo here that will lie reechoed by the counl.v councils mlmin. islei ing the affairs of newly-sellled and only pnrl.ly-roudod dis'tricts. Every (lay they have cries for " roads, more roads," instead of the sludge -channels or .impassable quagmires lliiit aie now I'upposed to give access U '.oldings in the backblocks. A great d-.'al of the land being ns; yet in its pris'tinc state, it is imperative lo rate heavily to maintain ils existing coiiiniimicutiion. The i'lilpahlc value is low, and not in proportion U) the amount of itn demands for e.v.pemljtiW, and the subsidy paid on the rateable value is small. In the older settled districts. iy/'U-fmuled and closely-populated, lands ace not so highly rated, yet large subsidies ara granted to wealthy counties. The principle is wrong. Money should bo spent in opening up the new districts', and the best moans of doing

this seems to be to grant the subsidies on the amount of rate struck. It is manifestly unfair that a county working under a farthing rate should draw a large subsidy, whilst the district labouring liwavily under the highest tax that the law allows is I unable to obtain oven an equal treatment. The Premier thought, with

regard to the question of exceptional I'naliic, that power- should be given to local bodies to stop such traffic, until a road was in a condition to carry'St, and to i-egulate the traffic i-n accordance with the condition of the road. He agreed that there was a necessity for altering our law, in that respect. The deputation had asked for a re-enactment of the Town Districts Act. Mr Seddon said that he knew the mind of Parliament on the subject, and if the act were to lie re-enacted, county councils would run the uifik of town districts being made separate and distinct areas, and so derive no revenue [ from 1 hem. For Ms part he was not favourable to creating any additional local bod'iqs. This country was over-ridden with local bodies.and local government was absolutely prostituted. The bill introduced had been lost because its effect would lie the sweeping away of u number of those local bodies whose only function was to raise money anu spend it. The Government would favour any proposal that would reduce the number of local bodies, ensure the finance of those which remained, ami give thorn full powers. Let us hope that the Government will not only ■favour out introduce such legislation.

CONDEMNED CATTLE. A matter of interest to farmei'B was mentioned un Monday by a Canterbury deputation which waited upon the Minister for Lands with reference to the question of the payment of compensation for condemned cattle. They urged that the maximum value put to a condemned animal should be raised to £.lO, and thai, the owner S'hoiild get two-thirds of the value, whatever it might be, up to that amount. At present the maximum value is £B, and die owner on!y gels half. They pointed out I hat the condemnation of cattle suffering ii om tuberculosis benefitod the public, and, therefore, the public, as represented .by the State, should bear a larger share of the loss. The deputation also urged that the tuberculin test should bo done away with, and; a clinical test by examination by experts at the Kaleyards should Iw substituted. Another point represented was that the present law stipulated that no compensation should bo paid for a condemned cowthat was over night yeats of age, and the deputation wanted the age raised. Mr Duncan, in replying, thought the age should ho raised to ten years, but tho veterinary surgeons stated that cows fr 0 m eight to twelve years old wero inoro susceptible to disease than younger cattle. Ho had no objection to arbitration where there was a difference of opinion as regards value, but ho did not think the. Government could raise the maximum compeilsation. The Department did not want to make a loss through having, to destroy diseased cattjo, and if they gave the full value shoy ■' would havo to pay comrKmsd4io>n''fo.r all the tuberculous cattle He ha-1 his doubts aiioilt the efllcacy of the t«.JJoroui;n i t^t,,but■■he. did not think a l.fiHnieal lest in tho saleyards would jwprjv,, l lJi'cau'se ■there were no convrct fences.'He/would, 'however, consult the vetiotitiai-y surgeons of the ' llepartmerit^'tc;'Seo whether a, bettor pyßtViri.' ! pi;exain'infitioi| could be de*vfs<yd. . At' the close, "of- the interview, Mr 0. .I'. Reakcs, assistant chief veterinarian, assured tho deputation of the efficacy of tho tuberculin test.