LOCAL BODIES

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 10, 11 July 1936, Page 10

LOCAL BODIES

SAVING EXPENSE

COST OF ADMINISTRATION

NOT INTELLIGIBLE

Dealing with the high cost of the management of local affairs by several separate, governing bodies, in towns and boroughs of the Dominion, the Minister of' Internal' Affairs (tha Hon. W. E. Parry) referred today to the case cf boroughs in which "legal tussles had taken place costing the ratepayers large sums of money.'

"The more I go into the. question," stated the Minister, "the more glaring do examples appear before me illustrating the soundness of any step taken to bring about the amalgamation of our local bodies. Almost daily notable circumstances come to light, all showing the high cost—sometimes caused by duplicating authority—of the administration of the people's local affairs. One or two recent events — all subject to legal action—have been told, to me by visiting Mayors of progressive boroughs of the Dominion. They have, with convincing facts, shown me how the councils' exchequers would have been saved large expenditure, not only in Court proceedings, but in other directions as well, if there had been unification of the bodies—if1 there had been but one body controlling the local affairs. Many of these squabbles, they tell me, could have been satisfactorily adjusted round the council table, but with the participation of other bodies in these squabbles—and they had the right within their functions to participate— there was little hope of a settlement outside of a Court judgment. I am sure the people of New Zealand-rand, no doubt, the local bodies themselves —will see wisdom'in the amalgamation proposals now being prepared.";