OVER-GOVERNMENT BY LOCAL BODIES.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8597, 26 September 1893, Page 2

OVER-GOVERNMENT BY LOCAL BODIES.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRE 33. Sib, —If any further argument was necessary to prove the useleasness of the Drainage Board at the present time it can be found in the report of their meeting of the 19th iust., wherein it is reported that the City Council, in order to widen the northern portions of the East belt, offered to do tho whole of the work of removing the drain and make the improvements providing the Draioage Board will find tho pipe?. The Drainage Board plead their inability to comply, hut quite approve of tho City Council doing the work entirely at their own expeuse. subject to the supervision of the Drainage Board. Now, air, I maintain the City Council and its officers are quite competent to supervise this work. Is it creditable that the citizens have to pay tho full amount of drainage rates, also when any improvement is needed it must be paid out of tho ordinary rates, yet two costly Boards aro maintained to do what could easily bo done by one. The Kaiapoi Borough Council have act a worthy example, they having discovered that one local body can very well do the duties hitherto performed by the two, and have wisely decided to absorb the two bodies into one, thus saving a great expense to the ratepayers. This ia very proper. I also noticed in the report, while the Board will not spend money for improvements, they decided to expend moro in law costs to try and extort moro rates from the already over-taxed suburban ratepayers, who should a'j once endeavour to stop such wasteful administration.—Yours, &c, Ratepayer.