COMMISSION RULE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 292, 13 May 1914, Page 6

COMMISSION RULE.

MUNICIPAL REFORM. ABOLITION OF PARLIAMENT,

| Ckristehurch, Yesterday. A ratepayer of the oily, who has been in America, was seen by a .Star reporter to-day with reference to the statements made by the Mayor of Dimedin suggesting that the government of cities by commission on the American plan should ,be tried "in the Dominion.

"The people niu-t not get this proposal mixed up with the brilliant muddle which the lion. F. M. K. Fisher proposed about a year ago," lie said. "The proposal made by the Minister of Marine was that the commissioners should be appointed from Wellington, really the commission idea that proved so unpopular when tried with the railways* The term commission will probably frighten a lot of people oil' this reform, but if they lived under it in America they would have no doubt about the clumsiness ami ineffectiveness of the present system when compared with it. The name commission government was given to it because, the system was an adaptation of a commission system inaugurated by the Texas State Government for the control of Oalvcston after it had been devastated by a flood. The work done by the commission, with its one,man to one job, proved so successful that Galveston asked the State Government to apply the system, on a i popular vote basis instead of Govorn;ment appointment, as the first coanmis'sion had been.

HOW THE SYSTEM STARTED. ''This wag done and Galveston for the first time elected a governing body of experts, instead of a butcher, a baker, and a candlestick maker. Briefly, the heart of this system is this: the electors vote not for a Council to work as a body, controlling all departments, but for men to control particular departments of municipal activities. One man would be elected to look after the. roads department, say, but his views on public speaking in Cathedral Square would not matter at all; he would have nothing whatever to do with that matter which would probably devolve on a man elected to look after by-laws and public order. You sec. the electors can get nearer to a clean-cut issue by this means.

WOULD KILL PARTIES. "I'aid? Oil, yes, tiny would be paid officers,but you would bo savin" money. Your rouiL; man would bo really your municipal engineer, with full authority and responsibility. He would not have a works committee t-> hamper him or to afford a shield in ease of error. He would get ail the glory and all the kicks, and best of all the elector.-; could get directly at him if he made glarim? mistakes. Now, with ;>. party .system in our munieinal uo'itii-n it woull'ba diffieult to do fciich a thing, liut under the commission plan a direct insuo could be fought out. All that has been said in support of the elective executive principle in Parliament can be applied to commission' iroverninent, but the difference is this: the executive is elected by Parliament and the commiskin by the , people. It would kill party system in ihe government <f the cities. Party feeling would eontiuii' to e\i.-il in the elections, that can never In- killed, but uireetly the election w.n ov r'ihe commission would have no opportunity for party work, because each man would ■be personally responsible for hi., work. I notice tltat the Mayor of Dunedin has stated that the popular man might be elected instead of the competent man. That would be done only once. When people have to pay they look for value. APPLY IT TO (JKNKRAL GOVERNMENT.

"The system, however, must have three safeguards—the initiative, tin- re•feri'iidum Kiul the power of recall. People urge that this would mean continual votins and continual elections. But in America the experience has been quite the opposite.' Tho commissioners knowing 'how swiftly the people can act, are careful of their actions. It in a logical, safe and a business-like system, and there will yet arise in this country 'a parly brave enough to advocate the adoption of the system for general government. Do away with Parliament and all its party talk, and the money saved can be used to pay the Ministry which will he. individually elected by the people. The change would not be a great one. Now at best the country , is governed by the majority of a. MinisI try of eight, that is five men, who are probably dominated by two. They control all legislation and'administratiou for I three years; by virtue of the party system hi tile House. The Opposition are critics and watchdogs. The.v can find out little more than the Ministry wants them to know, and surely if there were no Parliament they would still be able to criticise? It's no wild-cat scheme. It's worth thinking over, especially when a minority government i* in power and depending on tne party sunreinncy in I the Parliament and not in the country."