HUTT VALLEY NEWS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 121, 15 February 1935, Page 3

HUTT VALLEY NEWS

LEGION POLICY Local Body System Criticised The New Zealand Legion’s attitude' toward local body government was discussed by Dr. Campbell Begg, the national president, at a meeting of the Lower Hutt centre of the legion in the River Board office last night. Mr. W. Smith presided. The speaker said there had been sufficient examples of the difficulties encountered in public service through lack of co-ordination of local bodies. The.supply of water for all the.districts in ‘ the natural administrative area of Wellington would have presented no difficulties under the legion system, where a shire borough controlled all the services. With different bodies all dealing with water supply there was, a real danger of shortage at some parts and abundance in others. The difficulty in choosing a site for a fire brigade station in Wellington also would not have arisen. Fire control would be brought under the shire borough council and the present Fire ' Board replaced by a fire committee of the shire borough council on which the insurance companies could have adequate representation. The City and Suburban Highways Board could be replaced by a highways committee of the council. The question of a ramp over the new outlet from Wellington, the diversion of the river, the building of a new bridge at Melling, co-operation against competition in gas and electric power supply to the valley, transport and many other problems could only be settled by a unifying body of the type proposed. Borough Amalgamation. , Within the main shire borough there must doubtless be secondary boroughs for many years to come, said Dr. Begg. Reasonable amalgamation of boroughs was another problem. It was an entire anomaly to have Eastbourne under a borough of its own and Day’s Bay under the Hutt county. Plimmerton was a seaside and pleasaure and health re,sort for the whole of the area, and reasonable access to it should not depend an the vote of a borough riding. The weakness of New Zealand local government was the number of special or ad hoc bodies—nearly 400 of them. There must be created a few large general, bodies to take over their/ functions. They had many ad hoc local bodies or quasi local bodies in their own area. For example, the Hutt Park Committee, the Hutt River Board. Gas Lighting Board, Electric Power Board, City and Suburban Highways Board, City and Suburban Water Supply Board, not to mention the Hospital Board, the Harbour Board, and the Fire Board. The function of local body government was service, he said.' High rates and taxation were in themselves an evil. They produced high rents, and consequent overcrowding, and increased the retail cost of everything the people used, including food and clothing. Under a reformed system more service could be given for the same money or the same service for less money. The people had a right to the service at the cheaper rate.

Objections to reform were. superficial, he continued. The financial difficulty could easily be overcome by a system of special rating. For example, in the Wellington area the Ngaio Hall was the subject of a special rate until recently the loan was converted. Unemployment would not be caused by wholesale disposal of employees. The question of superfluous 'personnel could be adjusted under the new system by lack of recruitment over a period. It would be a distinct advantage to employees who with hard work had qualified themselves for positions as civil engineers or town clerks to get their feet on the rungs of a Ihdder that led somewhere. With big areas there would be a chief engineer and various grades of subordinate engineers, and everyone could hope for advancement. Under the present system engineers and town clerks were in dead-end occupations often with miserable salaries. To Maintain Local Interest. The local interest in administration could be maintained not only by minor local bodies subject to the over-' riding powers of the shires and shire boroughs, but also by advisory commit tees in the different district given minor executive powers. The campaign the legion had embarked on would give efficient administrators in minor bodies the opportunity of a higher sphere for service as well as greatly improving social services and reducing the cost of them.

Local bodies had a duty to use the Municipal and Counties’ Association and the platform of their council meetings to press for this question of reform, he said. The legion would choose candidates who would be capable administrators in their own sphere, and able to lead the national campaign for reform as well. It was avoiding complete tickets to the public and putting forward only a limited number of candidates, leaving room for representation of other bodies, too. Most of those they would support would be members of the legion, but other outstanding candidates should also be considered. The public had to be educated to the fact that no economic measures could be successful unless a proper system of administration existed to bring the benefits to the individual. They therefore had every right to expect support from all classes in their efforts to produce from the present chaos a system readily adapted to carry out all future services which the advance of science, social and mechanical, might bring to the people.

HUTT COUNCIL

Six Legion Nominees The following New Zealand Legion members were nominated as candidates for the Lower Hutt Borough Council in the interests of the campaign for local body reform at a meeting of the Legion at-Lower Hutt last night:—Dr. F. EBolt, Messrs. C. J. Ashton, W. Cole, J. Mitchell, 81. Maccaskill. and R. BiRussell. Messrs. Ashton and. Mitchel! are present members of the council. Power. Board. In the interests of the same cam paign Mr. J. M. Andrews, Mayor of Lower Hutt, is to be nominated as a member of the Hutt Valley Electric Power Board. - Nominees for other offices ou local bodies in the district are to be announced.