LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 280, 23 May 1912, Page 5

LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL

TO-DAY*S DISCUSSION. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Yesterday. At the local bodies' conference, the Hon. G. W. Russell stated that the executive had agreed to set up four committees as follow: (1) Municipal, (2) Local Government Board and Provincial Councils, (3) the proposed amalgamation of bodies, and (4) education, hospitals and charitable aid, and smaller harbors. He also intimated that the executive had come to the conclusion that the larger harbors must be eliminated from the Bill. Discussion was then resumed.

Mr. John Studholme (Ashburton) delivered the most effective address so far, and was loudly applauded. He was in favor of reforming the system. Messrs. Walker (Dunedin), Fisher (Southland) and Williams (Duller) supported the scheme.

Mr. Ebenezer Allen (Auckland) thought road hoards should be allowed to continue. They could eventually be merged with the counties.

Mr. Armstrong (Wairau) favored setting up a commission to re-frame the boundaries.

The conference adjourned till 2 p.m. Wellington, Last Night. The Local Bodies' Conference resumed at 2.30 p.m. Mr. J. Quin, Eltham, said that he was against local government boards, provincial councils and the abolition of ridings. He thought that education should remain as at present, and favored the centralisation of hospitals. Mr. C. Ellison, Hawke's Bay, thought that the present law was responsible .for the multiplication of local bodies. Mr. Win, Hathaway, Stratford, said that the Bill should be called the Local Bodies Confiscation Bill.

Mr. T. Kennedy, Westland, regretted that licensing benches had not been brought under the operations of the Bill. Mr. Russell replied briefly to the delegates' speeches. He pointed out that in connection with the question of assured finance that gold mining counties received in one year £30,946 as subsidies by my of gold duty. He mentioned that there were only 43 counties in the country which received more than £ISOO in subsidies. He recognised that it was the wish of the conference that education should be eliminated from the jurisdiction' of the Bill, and also hospitals and charitable aid. He recognised also that h v ge harbor boards, with their enormous d'-bts, could not be included. He saw. from what lie had heard, that the counties must lie enlarged. He favored the setting up of an independent commission for each Island, to re-group the counties, and emphasised that there would be no infringement of the rights of local government boards (if set up) by the Government. Subsidies, he continued, should be based on the necessities of a district. With regard to backblock roads, he said that when a man bought land he should liave access to it for the despatch of goods and produce. He would not that dajr touch on the matter of county franchise. That matter would be fought out on the floor of the House. He thanked the conference for the fine spirit in which it had proceeded with <the business. The effect of the conference would be educative so far as the country and Parliament were concerned, and with the assistance of his staff he would be able to formulate a Bill improving local government throughout the country.

1 On the motion of Mr. E. Griffiths a vote of thanks to Mr. Russell was passed by acclamation.

The committees set up by the conference then proceeded to business, and will report to the general conference at 10 a.m. to-morrow.