PLAIN TALK BY DR. NEWMAN.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 696, 22 December 1909, Page 7

PLAIN TALK BY DR. NEWMAN.

OUE VANISHING CIVIC RIGHTS. ' '' During the course ot an interview yesterday. Ins Worship tho Mayor, Dr. Newman, had ' 1 some jntaettiujj loraaikb to niako in regard to tho (jo\crnmeiit attitude to lotal bodies. Dr. Ncwmail sUtcd that ho resented the Tianiwajt Amendment Bill, which was the' subject of a deputation m protest to the Mm- ' istcr on Monday, becaute it was only ono P?™, 01 . what « ent to illustrate tho tendency ' ot tho trovDrnment uow-a-days to take all power of local Bo\6rnment, aud to Concentrate it m tho hands of Ministers. At e\ery turn ocsl bodies nero hampered by Orders iu. v ' bouncil. loi instance,, said his Worship, ia i tho recent dispute between tho city and tho Oas Company, -whilst negotiations wero penling, the Minister tlm-atened to issue an Order-ln-Oouncil whicUi brmg into force a < clause in tho Ael uhich i\auld give tho »'»« Company whit they wanted, ia defiance df tht rights of tho city. On this occasion, >hitouucil, through tlie Supreme Court, wae abl.J to secure an older prohibiting tho issue of Hue «i or 4 1? c " rc tho leKal Proceedings were settlof), the dispute had ended. Unfortunately the City Council was not always nblo to tafce > . out an ostoppal of th's kind. > >■ lhis seKion the City Council had introduced Ar?f. ona , l { hn s r t , h em to take over certain streets m tho Uelroso area, but the Govern- ' ment havo insisted that the Act shall not, come into foice unless by an Ordor-in-Cmmeil, which means that, if tho House ia adjourned , tho > 011 7 9, ouncil wIU hwo to go to Minlstcra i to b , rin B tlie Bm.into force, and, if Ministers cliooso to refuse, tho City Council isiiofterless to take over tlao Btreots. ' laid) such a matter aa this," continued Dr J-ewrnan. "rhe other day a special meeting of tho City Council was called to consider ' tno largo expenditure) on a fever hospital. It i * apppars that m effect the council, which has i to paj 841_per cent, of the contribution levied • ?£, uwur od,cs T cai l, bo °™-"ddcn ty the . Health Officer. . In tho case of tho Abattoir, wo City Council was over-nddon by Ordors-in-Conncil, imd officers of the Government." At every turn there 13 unfairness on tho part of '' tho Government. ' ' i "Tike, again the case of the crwnatorium, I built entirely by Wellington money, without any contribution from tho ' tirely tho city s own propsrty, The City Council made regulations on the most modern and up-to-dato lines for the management of tho crematorium, but those do not meet with the v approval of thoi Minister, and negotiations have been poinß on in regard to them for some time. In England, the ono idea of politics seems to bo that local bodies should bo en(lowed more nhd more with larger powers of ' self-government, and that tre pcop'o thonld havo greater freedom in the management of ' their own affairs. I am surprised to find how. Nt eery turn locally, the Mayor and counl cillori. elected by the people, nre harasseo 1 and thwarted by Orders-in-Council, and how Ml real local government is vested in the handi pf Ministers, nnd token out of tho hands of the representatives of the people." ___________ \ »\