LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 273, 15 May 1912, Page 7

LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL

CONFERENCE OF LOCAL BODIES AT NEW PLYMOUTH. IMPORTANT MOTIONS CARRIED. A conference of delegates of local bodies in the Taranaki hospital district was held in the Council Chambers, New Plymouth, yesterday morning, for the purpose of electing two representatives to attend the conference to be held in Wellington to discus- the provisions of the proposed Local Government Bill. The conference will open on Tuesday, May 21. Delegates present were as follows:—Messrs G. W. Browne (New Plymouth Borough Council), W. F. Jenkins (Waitara Borough Council), H. W. Tarplee (Inglewood Borough Council), J. Brown (Taranaki County Council), J. Burgess (Egmont County Council), S. Elliot (Clifton County Council), W. C. Dudley (Opunake Town Board), C. Andrews" (Okato Road Board), P. Willeox (Parihaka Road Board), H. Trimble (Moa Road Board), J. S. Connett (Wailara West Road Board), J. Houlahan (Waiwakaiho Road Board), J. Hine, junr. (Waitara Harbor Board), E. Maxwell (New Plymouth Harbor Board), A. Morton (Taranaki Education Board). At the outset, Mr. F. C. J. Bellringer, chairman of the Hospital Board, formally welcomed the delegates, and, on the motion of Mr. Hine, seconded by Mr. Trimble, was unanimously elected chairman of the conference. A TRENCHANT CRITIC.

In his opening remarks, Mr Bellringer said that the meeting had been called by him at the request of the Minister for Internal Affairs. The business of the meeting should really be confined to the appointment of these two delegates, but as there was such a gathering of representative men there that day, the opportunity should not be lost of discussing the proposed Bill and thus giving a lead to those whom the conference might I appoint to go to AVellington. Proceeding, Mr Bellringer gave a brief review of the Bill. It proposed to entirely re- J volutionise the system of local govern- J ment. RATING POWERS. . , Continuing, the chairman said that the provincial rates to be levied were of three classes—general rates over the whole of the province; special rates to provide interest and sinking funds on special loans; and separate rates for works in particular localities. The general rates and separate rates combin- I ed were not to exceed threepence in the pound on the capital value. In locali■s where the rating on the annual value was in existence this represented a limit of four shillings in the pound. Powers were also given to Provincial 1 Councils to raise special loans without I first taking any poll or obtaining the consent of the ratepayers in any way. THE MANY OBJECTIONABLE FEATURES. "I now propose," remarked the chairman, to deal with a few of the many objectionable features which present themselves. Firstly, whilst I admit that it iis necessary to reduce the great number of overlapping local bodies and the conI sequent waste in administration, the . proposed Bill is altogether of too revolutionary a character to be of any value. The smaller local bodies such as road boards, river boards, etc., should be merged into the adjoining boroughs. To abolish the whole existing system of local government and create a "new system in one act would inevitably lead to ehaos ; Again. . . . the duties and functions of the Provincial Councils are of too varied and extensive a character to be exercised in an efficient manner by any one council as proposed, and curtail to a very large extent the right of the people to administer their own local affairs. . . BOROUGHS HARP HIT.

"Under the provisions of the Bill, boroughs." continued Mr Bellringer "will have to pny not only the cost of maintaining their own public works and institutions, but will have to bear part of the cost of public works and institutions iu other parts of the provincial district in which they iiave no interest or concern, or at the greatest a very remote interest." EDUCATION. "The provision to throw part of the expense offfljucaiJon upon the local rates : is altogether objectionable inasmuch as it throws an additional burden upon the land owner merelv to relieve the dated revenue, the fund which 'should rightly continue to bear the cost of education. THE ABOLISHING- OF HOSPITAL BOARDS.

"The abolishing of hospital boards is .a retrogressive step. It would be better to amalgamate the boards in each provincial district but not to abolish the boards altogether The proposal to reduce the subs My payable to hospital boards throws a further burden on the ratepayers and is open to the same objection as that mentioned in connection with education. The chairman concluded that personally he did not for a moment think a

Bill making such radical alteration in the system of local government had the remotest chance of becoming law for many years to come. All local bodies should show such a determined front that S the Government would hesitate to inII , troduce the. Bill into the House, much less attempt to force it through. A BTG BATCH OP RESOLUTIONS Mr. Bellringer then moved the following series of resolutions-• "That this meeting of r< "esentatives of local bodies throughout to Taranaki Hospital District, after couriering the proposed local government B ; I1 strongly objects to its enactment for the following reasons:— (1.) That the Bill is of too revolutionary a character to be of any value, and that the abolishing of the whole existing system of local government and the creation of a new system in one act would lead to chaos. (2.) That the creation of the local government board and the powers vested in it tends to an undue centralisation of I administrative authority. (3.) The duties and functions of the , Provincial Councils are of too varied and extensive a character to be exercised in an efficient manner by any one council as proposed, and curtail to a very large extent the right of the people to admin--1 ister their own local affairs. (4.) That the provision whereby boroughs will have to pay not only the cost of maintaining their own public works and institutions hut will have to bear part of the cost of public works in other parts of the provincial district in which thev may have no interest or concern is unduly unjust. (5.)' The abolishing of education 11 boards and the provisions to throw part H ' of the expense of education upon the S local rates is altogether objectionable j B inasmuch as it throws additional hurH dens upon the ratepayer merely to re--9 lieve the consolidated revenue, which % fund should rightly continue to bear * flic cost of education. (fi.) The abolishing of hospital boards nnd the reduction of the subsidy for hospital and charitable aid will also throw a further burden upon the laiid- ( owner and is open to the same objection as that mentioned in connection with education. The motions were seconded by Mr Jenkins, and were put to the meeting at a later stage. . A preliminary discussion was indulged in bv members as to the method of

procedure to be adopted. Eventually its was decided to generally discuss the Bill. J A PARTIAL CONDEMNATION. / In disagreeing with certain of the chairman's contentions Mr Trimble said that he for one did not hold that the Bill was intended to place an extra charge on borough councils. His own opinion was that the Bill was not wholly what was wanted, but he ventured tf say that they could make it a workable measure. MR MAXWELL'S VIEWS. Mr Maxwell in the main supported the resolutions. All agreed, he remarked, that some amendment in local bodies was desired, particularly in the direction of doing away with many road boards. But already those bodies were steadily and surely merging into the counties. Although the present law provided for merging, he did not think anybody would object to a compulsory merging of town boards, as well as road boards. The Bill had not been brought about in the way it ought. Instead of having the conference after the drafting of the Bill, one should have been held prior to that time. It would have been very much better than having to go, as at present, to Wellington lo pull the Bill to pieces. They only ought to endeavor to bring about a delay in the conference, so as to enable local bodies to thoroughly discuss the Bill, and to appoint a more representative conference. One of the most objectionable features of the Bill was that it would set up a local government board superior to the provincial council. In their turiu the borough and county councils would also be completely under the thumb of the provincial council. This would lead to clashing and friction. At present they hud an admirable system, which permitted counties and boroughs to work unhampered by red-tapeism. Mr. Maxwell also objeceted that while the Bill pretended to do away with local bodies it proposed to set up committees of management, so that the various boards still remained, only under different names. Under the Bill they would not be done away with, except with regard to their independence. The most objectionable feature was that the trend of the legislation was to take the say in local matters away from the people, and delegate it to persons not responsible in any way to the electors. They would have no k remedy against these appointees, or the committee as a whole. At present, electors had the opportunity of turning members of local bodies out of office if they did not perform their duties satisfactorily. The provincial council would not be tied down as to how it should expend the Tates. At present many local bodies were bound to expend certain monies in certain directions, and they must make ends meet. The Bill would revolutionise all this. It would give the provincial council power to spend general rates in improving a port that might be of entirely local importance, and which might be against the interest of the majority of electors.

A PLEA FOR THE SMALLER BODIES.

Mr. Dudley said the fact was that those who drafted this Bill had admitted at the start that they were not competent. Therefore it was for local bodies to propose a good Bill. If they could not make a better one, they certainly could not make a worse one. In putting forward a plea for many of the small local bodies, the speaker said that being members of large bodies the sympathies of many councillors would not lie with, the smaller boards. There were certain town boards which it would be found impossible to merge. He did not think the affairs of town boards could be efficiently and sympathetically administered by countv councils.

"GOVERNMENT STARTED THE WRONG END."

Mr. J. Brown declared that it appeared to him that if the conference adopted all of Mr. Bellringer's wishes, it would tie the hands of the delegates. For instance, he did not agree "that the Bill is of too revolutionary a. character to be of any value." The trouble was that the Government had started at the wrong end. The only way to get a satisfactory Bill was to hold preliminary conferences of the separate classes of' local bodies to send representatives to a general conference. It was impossible for two delegates to go down and voice the opinion of all local bodies. To his mind, there were local bodies which could be abolished. Either county councils or road boards should be abolished. , .Town- boards, river boards and drainage boards should either be included in boroughs or counties. As re'gards hospital boards, they could very well be administered by borough councils. He could see.no difficulty in the way of this. THE OLD SYSTEM.

The chairman: That is reverting back to the old system.

Mr. Brown: Yes; I am greatly in favor of the old system. Continuing, Mr. Brown said that one objection not touched upon as yet was the proposed abolition of ridings. If this were done, there was nothing to prevent a thickly populated part of a county to elect the whole of the members of a council. MOTIONS CARRIED.

The chairman's motions were then put to the meeting seriatim, and the whole of them adopted, some of them on a division. On Mr. Hine's initiative the following additional motion was carried:— "That in provinces such as Taranaki. where there are several harbors, each having conflicting interests, it is impossible that any one body can be expected to administer harbor matters in an impartial and effective manner." BASIS OF REPRESENTATION. In regard to representation at the Wellington conference, the following resolution was adopted on the motion of Mr. Marton. seconded by Mr. J. Brown: "That, in the opinion of this meeting, each class of local body should be separately represented, from each district, at the conference."

A further motion was moved by Mr. Dudly, seconded by Mr. Andrews, regretting that each local body, especially those proposed to be wiped out, vns not to have representation at the conference.

The proposal, which was classed by Mr. Morton as "absolutely ridiculous," "vas rejected after a brief discussion.

Three delegates were proposed as representatives for the forthcoming conference at Wellington. They were as follow: Messrs. E. Maxwell, J. Brown and P. C. J. Bellringer. Upon a ballot being taken, the first-named two were selected.

Concluding, the conference paid a very hearty vote of thanks to the chairman, reference being made to the very able manner in which he had presided over the meeting's deliberations. The delegates were suhseq le ltly entertained by Mr. Bellringer at luncheon at the White Hart Hotel, where a short toast list was gone through. Later on, at the chairman's invita'i.m, il,n delegates visited the site of the new hospital and the oil wells at Moturoa.