LOCAL BODIES FINANCE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2080, 5 November 1885, Page 2

LOCAL BODIES FINANCE.

Tin: lii -^t batch of statutes for the past .ession to band includes the Lve.il J-iodies Finance iiml I'owcis Act, tho ineiMire which was denuded of about n\e-Mxths of il-, clause- by tiic Hotiic. Oiiginally intended to gi\o local bodies an a-isiiied finance it now a-^uine-, tiio shape of a tenipoi.-u v uieastue d«.:-i o r u( dt ■ make pioMMoti foi tho hour, m oitki that tin* Huads and Uiidges Constitution Act might bo gut lid of. Tho punciplc ui)dei)\ing llic latter, namely, that tho pooiei and hioio sp.usely populated di>tnct-> -huuld bj as sistod by their liehei mid more populous neighbour xsa-> held to bj exceedingly vicious. It applied to new work-, only, and Cantcrbuiy, whose uiagmtiC'iit load-. hv\e been cnii-tiucted out of public m -ney chiolly, could nut get suihcient out of the colonial pui>o. Hence the pw-ent e\ pedient. In the act provision t-, made that theie shall be paid to local bodies, with resp '«.t to iates collectable and collected tnv the cunenl hn.inci.il J'ear, half the amount-* to which they would be c ltitled under tho plan of distiibution descubed in the sohotfule to tho Act. "Piouded that tho collection* may extend up to iJOLIi June, ISSti, and the ,uiioinit> \oted heieinshill be j> w »l>li* up to the end of June, 1S8I». l'unided also that theie may, pieviou* to the collecti m of tho iati>, be paid a, sum not exceeding 7-i per cent, of the subsidies to the lo^al bodies cm the rates levied to be collected ; but should the rates nut bo collected bofore the 30th June, 188(i, tho local liodies & hill lepay to the I'ublic Fund the subsidy oveipaid. 1 ' Tlio schedule, ufened to is that attached to the oiiijmal bill, bcin^iu accoid with piopo-«ed «.y-<te n of settled sub-.dios extending oicr ii teim of je.il". Iv ie-.|)ect, theiufore, of all vl rates actually collected, borough councils will be entitled to ireei\o 10s m the 11 whciethc latos do not exceed £7">o, and ~m wheio the Kites aie o\ei that amount, but no le-^sci .sum th in t37">, nor gie.iter than £'.)00 is to be jj.ii.l to iinv boiuugh council. To each council of a county where theie are no road di^tucU, theaubiidy piyment will be t'foi £ when the gencial lates do not exceed £1030, and above tint am tuut 10i foi eveiy £ of late--, but no los^ei mi m thin t'loo'J noi j^i-i' itev than t'")000 is to bj paid to ,my council. Ali tho ie\cnues collected within any " mining distuct," or within p.nt (if any such di-tiict within tho lnniU nf any county, except the levenue.s denied fioiu the sale of land-i, or the leiiHing of land foi .igiicultui.il puiposes, subject to, and after cost of collecting the saino and othei lawful chaises aie to foim pait of the county fund, and the Govemor-in-Couneil may delegate to any local body all or any of the poweis he possesses for collecting such revenues, subject to any conditions he may impo s e. Tho (imeinor may finthei delegate the expenditure of moneys "appropriated foi ex-peuditme, in enconusring and assisting the piospecting foi gold or goldmining opeiatious." A piousioii, declaring it lawful for any local body to expend a poition of tho levcnue 10ceived from duty on gold or goldh'elds re\enuo in piospecting foi gold, -jilvei, tin or other metals, was htinck out in tho Legwluthe Council, but, on a confeienco with tho House of Repiesentatnes, it w a-, decided not to insist upon this and other amendments made. Tho (ioseinov nny also, by Oider-m-Council, agree with ury local body, or with .any number i.f local bodies, united foi the execution of w/oiks for opening up Ciown lauds »old or about to bo tiold, but bo that tho total amount to be expended t-tia.ll not exceed one fouith the lovenuo deu\cd i)i to be domed fioin the laud. The(!o\ernoi in-Council may fuithei delegate any [lower or authonty vested in him, m lelation to tho construction or conttol of any public woiks within the diatnct, nndei tho jurisdiction of a local body, or local bodies united for tho purpose Clanso 8 of the Act, which was shuck out by the Legislative Council, but leinstated by the conference of both Houses, gi\e« \eiy geuui.il poweis of delegation. "In addition to the powers of delegation heiein before gnen to the (iovemoi, he may, by Order-in-Council, delegate to any local body, for any period, and subject to nny l emulations, re-tuctions or stipulations winch may be specified in such Older, all or any of tho poweis \e--ted in him by this Act, and ill or any of the powers vested in him by any other Act which ho has powei to delegate, and which, in his opnijoi), it may bo expedient to delog.ito uiuJci the pi'nkion*, and e\eiy •such delegation fo altei orie\oke ; piovided that any such alteration or i evocation shall not affect tho validity of instalments completed or acts dono during tho oxistonco of such delegation."