The Daily Telegraph TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 1881.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 2984, 18 January 1881, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 1881.

The Hon. Colonel Whitmore has recently written a leading article to the Wairarapa Standard on the subject of " Local Government Reform," and as showing the necessity of reform he says that the institutions called into existence by the abolition of provincialism, while they have not satisfied the local wants of the colony, are cumbrous, expensive, and work discordantly amongst themselves. The Provincial system on the other hand did good work, and in some parts of the colony left little to be desired; but such success as did attend it, was largely due to the support it received from the Land and Consolidated Funds, revenue not raised by the body which expended it. As the Public Works policy developed itself, the Land Fund was gradually absorbed by the General Government, while the Consolidated Fund became IeBS and less able to subsidise the provinces, until at length the original three eighths of the Customs, and latterly the capitation subsidy, disappeared altogether. In the larger provinces especially, direct taxation even for special purposes was felt, and in some found, to be impossible, although rates levied within the smaller areas of the Road Boards, and Municipalities, proved easy of collection. Many thought that with these smaller corporations which apparently worked well, it would have been wiser to have been contented extending their duties, powers, and responsibilities, when the Provinces were abolished, and that it was taking a leap in the dark to create the County system. Experience has now shown that very few counties have realised the expectations of their creators, while in by far the larger number of instances, they have proved a positive failure. Ihe general principle of government which most political writers consider the true one in theory, is that of centralised legislation, but localised administration. The duties of administration confided to the Counties are however so limited, and so much that they could easily undertake devolves upon other local boards, that they become dwarfed into very insignificant, and useless bodies. Moreover the duties which they are supposed to discharge are almost identical with those of tbeir component Road Boards, and the somewhat absurd spectacle is presented, of two taxing bodies levying rates, maintaining separate staffs, and executing works ofjexactly the same character, side by side, all over the Colony. The Road Boards are institutions, which, as a rule, have for many years proved themselves to be an unmixed success. They are easily and cheaply worked, they attract practical men to take part in their labors, they are popular everywhere, and never having been subordinated to the County Councils are now found otten to conflict with what should be the superior body, if any raison d'etre exists for these latter at all. The most successful Counties have been those in which Road Boards do not exist, and which are therefore only gaint Road Boards themselves. Consequently they are not, strictly speaking, fair instances of the success of the County system. On another occasion we shall give some of Colonel Whitraore's suggestions for the direction in which reforms should be made in the existing system of local government.