THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1910. LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10082, 1 September 1910, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1910. LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM.

&ir Joseph Ward persists in stating that he is genuinely anxious to effect reform in the system of local government. The late Mr Seddon was equally anxious. The present Prime Minister and his predecessor have been seized with the fact that .many thousands of pounds are squandered in this country on engineering, clerical, and other expenses pertaining to the administration of the hundred and one different local bodies which are scattered throughout the Do- ' minion. They have been obsessed with clamant demands for reform which never, in reality, existed. And the mountain in each case has been moved. In the former instance it brought forth a mouse, which was immediately pounced upon and destroyed. An elephant is now promised which has about as much chance of passing through the House, as its progenitor had of passing through the eye of a needle. The fact of the matter is that Sir Joseph Ward and his Party are afraid to touch- the

local government question in seriousness. They are bringing down a Bill for the mere sake of saying, that they have done something. And the Bill will contain so many objectionable and impossible features that its fate will be determined before it sees the light of day. It uniafc be obvious to every student of current political events that the paramount c.oa-

sideration in dealing with legislation is tlie influence such legislation will have upon the votes of the people. ' Does anybody suppose for a moment that a Bill designed to extinguish local bodies, which have been brought ' into existence by popular desire, is going to be supported by a Party whose sole objective is the retention of office and power P Local bodies may be too great a tax upon the community, but, as long as the community is willing, and, apparently, anxious to bear the cost, nobody can well complain. This is the position in a nutshell. The ' Opposition has declared from time to time that reform is necessary. The newspapers, in turn, have conceived it a duty they owe the public to draw attention to the extravagance of the present system. But there have been no numerously signed petitions, and 110 clamour from the people for a change. On the contrary, the tendency has been to increase, rather than diminish, the # number of local bodies. What Government would dare, in these circumstances, to force reform ? From an Opposition point of view it is desirable that the Government should bring down a Local Government Bill. But, if the Opposition were in power, it would be undesirable that such a Bill should be introduced. And so it will be found that" the astute Prime Minister, when he discovers' that the influential section of the community, the section which controls the system of local government, is opposed to obliteration, will drop the measure like a hot po-l tato. To talk of local government reform'when, such reform means a sacrifice of votes, is to talk nonsense. Sir Joseph Ward has no more hope of carrying his Bill to the Statute Book than he has of flying. He might just as well, therefore, spare the country the expense of printing and circulating the measure. If reform is ever to be effected, it will come through a mandate from the people only. That mandate has not yet been given.