Evening Post. MONDAY, JUNE 20, 1881. THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM CRY.

Evening Post, Volume XXI, Issue 142, 20 June 1881, Page 2

Evening Post. MONDAY, JUNE 20, 1881. THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM CRY.

» It would tend much to the enlightenment of the public mind and to the progress of the public business it those honorable members of the House of Representatives who have so ostentatiously hoisted the Local Government Reform flag would kindly explain precisely what they really mean. Thay have put forth a battle cry. Let them interpret it. They have taken up a position. Let them define it. What do they actually want? It is easy to say in a cheerful off-hand way— "O, we want local Government Reform — and — and— so forth." Exactly — " so forth." That is as far as we can get : that is as much as we can extract in the shape of explanation. But *"?• seems to us a trifle vague and perhaps lackii.^ jomewhat in precision. Surely the honorable members who have spoken on the stibject with such apparent earnestness and feeling must have some defined ideas regarding their specific requirements. Yet nothing of the kind can be gleaned from their utterances. We have had Mr. Osmond and Sir Geobge Gbet outside the House abusing the present system of Local Government, and sighing for a restoration of Provincialism, while in the House we have had successively Sir Geobge Qbet (twice), Mr. Wakefield (twice), Mr. Moss, and others urging the imperative need of Local Govornment Reform as the burning question of the day. Each member professes his entire willingness to follow any other member who will introduce a good measure in this direction, but nobody ventures to explain the precise nature of the reform desired Then, again, it has also been very noticeable that each member who has spoken has been pointedly " dropped" by his side. Nobody has supported him. fcir Geukgs Grey opened tho ball on one side, and Mr. Wakefield on the other, but neither mot with the slightest support. Mr. Moss tried a mild amendment on the Hospital and charitable Institutions Bill — thereby, it is understood, anticipating ] Mr. Oemond — but nobody backed him up. Indeed, hischief.SirGEOßGKGEßT.implored j him to withdraw it, and promised that he would himself introduce a bill which should prove a panacea for all existing ills. Every single item of business that as yet has come before Parliament this session has beep made the occasion of some member springing up eagerly and assuring the House that all this, and more, would be accomplished by an improved system of Government. It is boldly asserted that this is the one thing needful, and all other things shall be added unto it. Is a Licensing Bill before the House ? Wo are promptly told that the matter would bo much better dealt with locally. Is it & Hospital and Charitable Institution Bill? A dozen members shout in chorus that local bodies could grapple with the matter much more efficiently if they were accorded proper facilities. Yet we cannot get any more definite explanation as to what is wanted than that put forth by Sir George Grey. He said : — " Lot the districts of New Zealand have the fullest powers of local self-government given to them. Take a group, say, of three or four counties, or of one or more, and make these counties into one large district. Leave power to the people to alter those boundaries if they please. Having dene that, bestow upon the district so formed almost the powers which were possessed by the former provinces—full aad ample powers of local selfgovernment of tha most complete kind. By doing that yon limit the powers of the General Assembly necessarily, and its business in a like proportion. Then rorert to the old law of the country. Let the General Assembly provide revenue simply for the purposes of the General Assembly and lie Govern-

ment, and take the whole of the rest of the revenue and share it between these districts in proportion to the population they have in them. Give also to theae district? powers of taxation. Yon will provide ample ground? at once from tho <?f neral revenue for almost all public works bcinj carried on. You will once more place in the handa of the people absolute powers of local self-government." Now here we have the nearest approach to concrete precision on this question that has bo far been attempted. But what does it mean? Under sections 25 to 39 of the Counties Act, any number of counties may be grouped into one larger counly if the inhabitant chooEe. All the count.es in the Wellington Pro\incial District might be amalgamated into one if only they could agree among themselves to do so. '1 he only obstic'e to such process being carried out consists in the preference of tho people themselves that the districts should remain Separate. Is it proposed to take from the people their present right of deciding whether I their county shall remain separated from its neighbors, whoso local interests might be very different? Moreover, under tho existing law large counties may be subdivided at the desiro of tho inhabitants, or road districts merged into counties. This seems wide enough to cover all the circumstances cited. Then, again, local bodies have power of self-taxation practically up to two shillings in the pound by general and "separate" rates, also of levying special rates for interest on loans to an indefinite extent. This too seems to afford a tolerably wide margin for heavy taxation. But Sir George Grey goes farther. He advocates nearly all the old functions of the provinces being ve3ted in the local bodies, and tho division among the latter of all the consolidated revenue not required for general colonial purposes. This may mean anything, and we prefer to see the Bill which he has promised to introduce, before discussing the vaguo theories he puts forth When these abstract theories are reduced to hard matter of fact in a Parliamentary Bill, it will be possible to judge how far they meet the requirements of tho case. The truth is tho whole question of Local Government is ono cf finance. Local bodies cannot do good and efficient work until they are placed in a better position financially. The Colonial Treasurer brought down some bills last session with the object of effecting this, but they have met with so very cold a reception that wo do not imagine they stand tho faintest chance of becoming law. We do not know whether the so measures will even be reintroduced, or if not, what will take their place, but no one who haß watched tho progress of events even during the short time Parliament has been in session this year, can havo failed to perceive that local finance is the real question at issue and that an earnest and practical effort will havo to be mado to grasp it. Members will deserve much better of the country by resolutely grappling with this question than by indulging in more theoretical vapourings which deal only with tho shadow and ignore the substance.