LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2169, 3 June 1886, Page 3

LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM.

Mn Y. C. Gkkm \xn, chairman of the W'aip.i County Council, wntes: — Sir, — I enclose a copy of ,v petition which was forwaided to Mr E. Lake, M.H.K., duimsj tin-. week, for prpMentation to Parliament. Tlio petition w.is drawn up by a rominittoe ni>pointed by a lar^e atul influential nmotinj? of ratepayers of the Man^apiko Road District, nold at P.iterangi on May 22nd. Tho resolutions embodied in tlio petition were cariied almost un.itnmously, and wero the result of a lonp di-cu^sitwi, tho ratepayers preferring tins cour-e to merging the road board into the county corncil :—

To I"HK HOXOIKUH.KTHK HoiSKOK Rhl'KK SKNr\ll\K>, W1.1.1.1NM0.V, XKW ZI,VThe petition of tlio ratepayers of the MnnjjMpiko lt'>ad District humbly showeth : —That under the present system of local boardi elected and governed by hard and fast lines from which they cannot deviate much expense is unnecessarily incurred ; That the Licencing Act divides a county into as many licensing districts as there are ridings within that county, for each of which a committee must be elected, no matter how small the riding, or whether there be public house therein or not, and consequently, as is the case in the Mangapiko riding, where there is no public house, an annual expenditure for returning officer, advertising, is incurred, although there is no revenue. That the Regulation of Local Elections Act is a source of much expense to all local bodies from tho repeated failures of election through oven sight or want of interest. That, the Rating Act compels local bodies to spend a large amount of revenue in advertising, '" they will meet to strike a rate," and also that they have done so, which could be dispensed with if theic were only ons body 'vithin the county to «tnke and collect the rate. That under the Road Boards Act, as at present in force, the public do not take the same interest as formerly, when the members were elected and the rate struck at the annual meeting ; that cdunty councillors require to be elected under the Local Elections Act, incurring the expense of returning officers and advertising ; that applications for licenses under the Licensing and Slaughterhouse Acts require advertising by the applicant". Your|petitioners therefore pray that your Honourable House may be pleased to take the hardships of the ratepayers into consideration and amend the various Acts, so that tho members of rqttd boards may be elected at the annual meeting, which shall be fixed by statute, ariji,' that this meeting shall have submitted to it an account of all expenditure for local and county matters for the past year, and an estimate of the probable requirements for the following year, distinguishing necessary and improvements for both county and local body and, a vote taken limiting the sum, the county council should be em poweied to strike fi.r themselves and road boards in excess of absolute necessity. That one or more members of each road board and town board form the county council. That the county council be the licensing committee. That in the event of death or resignation of a member of the road board the remaining members have the power of electing a successor, and also electing for any vacancy in the county council. That the councils of counties be authorised to strike the rates agreed on by the various road boards, and collect both on their own behalf, and also for road boards, placing the amounts collected to the credit of the various boards in their respecth c banks. Signed on behalf of the Mangapiko Road Board Dish ict. James Rtburx, Chairman. Paterangi, 22nd May, 18?0.