COUNTY COUNCILS V. ROAD BOARDS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2299, 5 April 1887, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCILS V. ROAD BOARDS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sin, —In sympathy with a very general feeling that we are greatly overgnverued, and that reform in our system of Local Government is particularly needed, I beg the privilege of space for a few remarks on the above subject. While admitting that the Counties Act was brought into existence with the laudable view of extending our powers of local government. The question is, in those districts where it has been worked in conjunction with the road boards. Has it beau a success ? If general opinion is any answer then it has not. The feeling among ratepayers seems l:o be that the advantages of the dual form of local government are not at all commensurate with the additional expense which it entails. While substantial subsidies were received from the geueral Government the pressure was not felt so keenly, but now that these have decreased so much, and indeed everything points to their entire cessation at no distant date, the ratepayers must, so to speak, put their house in order and economise as much as possible. As an instance, let us take our own Newcastle Board, and I suppose it is no worse in this respect_ than many others. The expenses of administration are, roughly speaking, as follows : —Clerk's expenses, including adjournments, stationery, stamps, etc., £15 ; election expenses, £12 ; and finally over the whole rate income is a charge of five per cent, for collection. And what is all this expenditure for ? Simply to administer

an income of between £100 and £200. and when wo consider that the same expensive process has to be repeated, though perhaps in lesser degree, through having the Counties Act in force, does it nut seem a grim parody on the benefits of local government; that there are difficulties in the way of effecting any improvement; is undeniable; and with a view of having these discussed by clearer heads and better pens than my own, I will, as they appear to myself and friends, briefly state them. Many ratepayers object to handing over the whale revenue to the county council first, from a natural disinclination to part with any control over what they rightly consider to be their own money, and secondly, they have an uneasy feeling, that in the matter of local expenditure, they would be, practically speaking at the mercy of the councillor for the time being; who might, and would not satisfy'all parties, no/so much through interested motives, as through a want of knowledge of local requirements. On the other hand there are many who, having a view to the past, would not care to part with what they consider to be a safeguard, as far as the main roads are concerned. These are principally ratepayers, who live adjacent to the county roads, and they hold that the road boards should be abolished, using the sound argument that with less official expense the rates would be expended under the supervision of a high class engineer, and consequently would go further, and be of more permanent benefit. These seem to be the principal difficulties, which those who attempt to alter the present system will have to encounter. There are, however, two alternatives, which, if you will allow me, I wit, explain in another letter.—l am, yours respectfully, E. C. Shepherd.