LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8558, 18 October 1907, Page 5

LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—The pressing need of reform in local government is well exemplified in this district by the exhibition at the recent meeting of the Hospital Trustees in respect o£ the treatment of indigent patients discharged from the Hospital. The Benevolent Trustees complained of the action of the Hospital Trustees in discharging a patient with no money in inclement weather, without any provision for his support, and the Hospital Trustees state thst cases of that description properly come within the scope of the benevolent Society's duties to attend to and provid3 for. Without going into the merits of the dispute between the two bodies, this case and others of a similar nature which were referred to at the meeting show that instead of having a number of bodies dealing with Hospitals and Charitable Aid one strong authority should control the whole of that administration. The position under the present law is that one lot of local bodies raise the funds required for ordinary hospital purposes, and another lot of local bodies control the expenditure, another authority levies funds for charitable aid purposes and yet another authority spends the money, and infectious diseases hospitals are nominally under still another controlling authority as regards expenditure. Local government reform has been in the air for years, and a good while ago a Bill was introduced into the House to carry out that reform, but was promptly smothered, and» no attempt made since to revive it. The tendemy of legislation since then has been in the direction of multiplying local bodies and cutting up districts, instead of consolidating anc 1 enlarging them and giving them an assured finance. The present Government ought to be sufficiently 3trong to tackle the question and carry through a thorough reformation of local government which is so urgently needed throughout the Dominion. — I am, etc., R. BROWN.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —Could you inform me if test iratches between Australia and England played in Australia are played to a conclusion, or limited to three diys' play as in England.—l am, GtC " AMATEUR.

(Test matches between England and Australia when played in Australia are played to a finish. If inclement weather prevents a match from being played out it is regarded as abandoned.—Fd. W.A.)