THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Ressurexi. TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 1878.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2831, 12 March 1878, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Ressurexi. TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 1878.

The resolution paased by the Borough Council at its last sitting, on the motion of Councillor McGowan, for the formation of a Municipal League, if carried out ■ will supply a want long felt by the various Municipal Bodies throughout the Colony. Measures highly inimical to Boroughs hare been b.ought forward and become j law, and the prejudicial effects on Municipalities hive not been discorered until instanced by their working. The Bailway Districts Act of last sessioa was a notable instance of this, and in its present form seTeral of its provisions are calculated to press unjustly ou Boroughs. Thus, for instance, although the Municipalities which may be included ?n the railway districts bear a large proportion of the guaranteed interest on the cost of construction, they hare no say in the actual construction of railway lines, She positions of stations, and many other; matters of moment. By great exertions the Thames Borough Council raised an agitation amongst the other Boroughs of the Colony at the time when the Act in question was passing through the various stages from its being a Bill to becoming an Act, and succeeded in having struck out one of the most objectionable clauses of the Bill, viz., the clause which gave to the ratepayers of Counties alone the right to say whether a railway should be construct'd or not, and now the ratepayers of Muncipalities have a share of the power to veto the construction of the railway if they consider its construction undesirable. Many other instances might be pointed out, but the one we bave referred to above gives ample proof of the need there is of local bodies having a close supervision of the various Bills effecting their interest which are brought forward every Parliamentary session. The Borough of Thames has communicated with the other Boroughs throughput the Colony—which amount to some sixty, we believe—with a view to the formation of a Municipal League, and the following is the modus operandi proposed for working the same. Each Municipal body is asked to appoint one or two delegates. These delegates will meet once or twice s year, before which meeting all matters of common Municipal interest will be laid, and a united mode of action decided on, and, if necessary, a draft containing their requirements will be submitted to the Government, and a promise of its introduction into Parliament obtained. It is also proposed that the secretary or some other agent of the League. should remain in Wellington during, the sitting of Parliament, and carefully watch all measures brought forward, and, should anything be on tne tapis which woulcf likely to be ia any degree hostile to the Borough interests, to at once communicate with the various Councils forming the League. A wellorganised body for the purpose of looking after Municipal interests might thus be formed, and many a piece of hostile legislation rendered innoxious. The total cost of the maintenance of the League is not expected to be great, and so many Councils being m* it, it would fall easily on them, while the advantage gained would render the cost a matter of little moment. It is not intended that the action of the League shall be of an aggressive character in any respect, but to partake more of the nature of a Vigilance Committee, formed to guard the interests of corporate bodies having control of local affairs in centres of population. It will be the duty of the League to obtain for Municipalities those rights provided for by existing enactments — zs endowments, for instance— and to guard against any infringement of rights already obtained. Such a League, if formed on a proper basis, may be made a great power for good, without exciting any antagonicru from the Government or local governing bodies outside Municipalities.