PROTEST AGAINST THE BILL.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13611, 21 December 1909, Page 9

PROTEST AGAINST THE BILL.

At yestrnlay\s nun-tin;; of tho Chri.stdmwii Tramway Bixird a brir: di«-ns- > arose on oi tlu- Train«TS Act Amendment 15.11. Iho Uorks W'Traffi'- Committed ronortod having Lkwl -ilpmbt-rs of I'ariiament intororjtjdin tramways to protest against tno

Pill Tbe Chairman (Mr H. Pcareo), in eovinti the adoption of the clausi', remarked that if t!io Bill wont throis-ii. tW might as well hand over the control of the- tramways to the GoVernMγC. M. Gray moved the follow ing addition to th« clause :—"That, in the opinion of this the Tramways Act Amendment Bill at present before the House is unnecessary and uncalled for, and ought not to be passed; and that a copy of this resolution bo forwarded to "the Prime ilinistor and to Members of Parliament." lie dealt in detail with the provisions of the- Bill, »nd said that it was a part of the attempt on the part of the Government to centralise in Wellington the control ,«f Jocal affairs. The reason one of the Board's water sprinklers had not been operating some time beck was because fomeone in Wellington found out that it was six inches too wide! Mr S. A. Staples seconded the mo-

\ilr W. Keece said that they had' yet

to learn that Government officials, -'thcagh an efficient body of men, wore • qualified to dictate to a. body like the Board which had experts o f its own. For himself, he would rather account ' for his shortcomings to the people who jent him to the Board than to a de- . Active. The origin of such Bills was tilt they probably camo from the , heads of departments who ruled tic. Pufclio Service. It might have been "lehijy those in authority in Wellington that they had not sufficient power to make the Board toe the mark as tfcw wished. Such proposed legislation h» looked, upon as the forerunner of a ' return to provincialism. Centralisation .appettedto be the prevailing idea with urose in power, but he thought tho peo- ; jjlo TOold Vako up—if they wonld ; eausdtiepresent legislation they would • «Ued anything—but they would-wake ~ up and demand a system that placed '-power in the hands of thi people them- | «mrcs. : clause in the- report and tho ad,fifaon moved: by Mr Gray were ■ Mopted.