N.Z. COUNTIES' ASSOCIATION.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20918, 27 July 1933, Page 7

N.Z. COUNTIES' ASSOCIATION.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM. A I'OSSIBLK BASIS. • rrssf iSSOCIATIOK TiXB CrSA'i..' WELLINGTON, July 2tf. The reversion to the larger and Stronger county, as was originally con templatcd when the local government reformers of 1876 set about their ta.. , was put forward as a possible basis of local government reform by Minister for Internal Affairs (the Hon. J. A. Young), when addressing the Counties' Association conference today. Mr Young said that there were .125 operative counties, with a large number of subsidiary boards, making a total of nearly 700 local bodies._ For a country with a population or 1,000,000. this seemed somewhat excessive, ai.a one was not surprised that there was an incessant demand for local go\ - ernment reform. Mr Young traced briefly the History of the increase in counties tna councils and subsidiary boards, and went on to say that county councils themselves had risen to the occasion and had been themselves investigating the beneficial results of. possible amalgamations among themselves and the absorption of subsidiary authorities. There was no question that the basis of reform lay in the direction of reverting to the larger and stronger county originally contemplated, and he fell confident that delegates would adopt the broad outlook of endeavouring to secure for the county council the high position it should occupy in the sphere of local government and not merely the particular aspirations of the special localities they were representing lor the time being. Mr Young took the opportunity ot acknowledging the manner in which county councils, m common with other local authorities, had endeavoured to meet the difficult circumstances of ratepayers in the matter of rate levies. "Let me say," he said, "that I have never missed an opportunity of pointing out to those who complain to me that local authorities are too severe in their demands, that local authorities as corporate bodies have their commitments to meet, that they must keep services going, and that they are extending to their ratepayers every possible consideration in these difficult times." Ilural Bodies' Debt. Reference to the amalgamation of local bodies was also made by the president (Mr A. E. Jull, M.P.), in his address. He dealt comprehensively with the present position, and pointed out that, whereas there were 320 road boards 00 years ago, there were now only In. Taking rural local bodi'"!-", but including town district;; subject to county jurisdiction, there were 125 counties, 18 road boards, 27 dependent town boards, 58 drainage boards, 43 river boards, and 49 rabbit, boards—a total of 320 rural bodle.-, whicu was precisely the number of road - ..rrts alone that were in operation in 1383. The counting of rabbit boards as local bodies was useful to those wishing to build up a big total, but as they only operated for one purpose and the total administrative cost of the 4!) boards was only £3OOO a year, they were quite negligible.

So far as rural bodior; wore concerned their total debt in 1931 was £8,884,863, and their total annual charge £620,024, while the capital value of f.hr? counties wns £,'>43,017,269. So rural indebtedness wa:; only about 2i per cent, of capita) value—surely n very trifling rural debt. He had kept out of the figures bodies which were urban as well as rural—harbour, hospital, and power boards. Mr Jull said that he was pleaded to say that as a result of circulars sent out to county councils there appeared to be a readiness to consider an amalgamation scheme, but it appeared that there was a desire to have some outside commission set up to make appropriate representations, and he would invite the conference to set up a committee to consider the propoFal for the amalgamation of local bodies.

The conference, after a discussion which showed the general agreement that amalgamation must come, resolved to set up a committee to report on the amalgamation of counties. Mr Young afterwards expressed his pleasure, saying that the report of the committee would be useful.