THE Bay of Plenty Times MONDAY, MARCH 4, 1912. LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XL, Issue 5777, 4 March 1912, Page 4

THE Bay of Plenty Times MONDAY, MARCH 4, 1912. LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM.

FOR something like twenty years local government reform has been a stock subject in the Governor's Speech. The Bill now before the House ha1? nearly four hundred and twenty clauses, and provides for a local government board being established, consisting of the Minister for Internal Affair-, three permanent heads of departments, and three other persons appointed by the Governor. The function of the Board will be to exercise certain powers of supervision, control, and administration in matters of local government. The whole of New Zealand is to be divided into areas of local government, with provinces, twenty four in number. Each province consists of groups of counties, and comprises all boroughs included within the boundaries of those counties. The boundaries of the provinces are set out provisionally by way of suggestion or illustration, but it is presumed that their actual boundaries will be finally determined by Parliament, after tak~-

ing into consideration the report of a commission appointed to enquire into the matter. Every province is to be governed by a provincial council consisting of elected representatives of the various counties and boroughs comprised in the province. Representation is in proportion to the value of the rateable property in each of these constituent districts of the province. Counties and boroughs which are too small for separate representation will be grouped together into combined districts and return representatives in common. The provincial representatives of each borough are to be elected by the electors of the borough at the. same time as the general election of the borough council. Provincial representatives of each county are elected by the electors of the county at the same time as the general election of the county council. County elections and borough elections will take place on the same day every second year. On that day, therefore, .if the measure became law throughout the whole of the Dominion an election would take place in every county and borough of county councillors, borough councillors, and provincial councillors. A provincial council is defined as a rating authority having power to impose general rates upon the whole province or separate rates upon any portion of the province which, with the consent of the local government board.^is constituted a separate rating area. Provincial rates are imposed within each borough and county comprised in the province on the same system rating of as is in force in that borough or county and on the valuation roll (^f the borough or county, and are collected on behalf of the provincial council by the borough councils and county councils in the same manner as if they were borough or county rate?. A subsidy at the rate of 15s in the pound is to be payable from the Consolidated Fund to each province on the amount of its general rates. A provincial council is given power to raise special loans for public works, and to impose special loans accordingly. The division of powers between provincial councils on the one hand and borough councils and county councils on the other is based on the principle that all powers which can be adequately exercised within the limits of a single borough or a single

county are vested in the borough and county council, while the powers which for their effective exercise require to be extended beyond the limits of a single county or borough are entrusted to the provincial council. The chief functions of the provincial councils relate to: (a) hospitals; (b) charitable aid; (c) public health ; (d) education; (c) harbors; (f) main roads and bridges; (g) rivers; (h) drainage and water supply. As a consequence, all hospital and charitable aid boards, education boards, certain harbor boards, all drainage and water supply board?, and all road districts and road boards would be abolished, under the Bill, and their powers, property and liabilities transferred to the provincial councils. Existing counties are con-

tinued, their powers and functions remaining substantially as at present. The general rates levied by them it is proposed to subsidise out of the consolidated fund, the rate being based on a sliding scale varying from 20s to 29 Gd in the £. The subsidy is made to depend upon the average capital value of the.rateable property in the county. The scheme, of which the above is an outline, is certainly a bold one and possesses some good point?. An outstanding1 feature of the Bill is the proposal to greatly reduce the number of selfgoverning units. In a speech made by Sir Joseph Ward at Win ton some time ago, he specially referred to this matter and told his audience that there arc 546 county councils, borough councils, town boards, and road, river, water supply, and drainage boards in the country, and that no less than IGB of these bodies have revenues of less than £500 a year. "The cost of management of these IGS in proportion to their revenue runs," faid the Premier, "from 17.58 per cent, to 26.72 per cent., as against 9.4 per cent, for counties and 4.28 for boroughs. The problem to be solved is how to effectively bring about the reduction of this large number of public bodies, and to give them sufficiently wide powers to meet the requirements of the people they serve." The above

figures are certainly telling indictments against the present costly and cumbrous system, and the reception that the Bill will be accorded in the Hou«e will be watched with great interest.