Reforms In County Councils Said To Be Necessary

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 June 1950, Page 6

Reforms In County Councils Said To Be Necessary

■ AUCKLAND, This Day (P.A.).—lt was generally agreed that the secret cf efficient democracy lay in sound local government control yet in New Zealand the powers of local government were steadily diminishing. This statement was made by Mr K. F. Jones, of Gisborne, engineer of the Cook County Council at the conference of the New Zealand Institute of County Engineers today. Counties had failed to adapt themselves to changing conditions and, as a logical result, their functions were being taken over by State departments, Mr Jones said. All counties should co-operate in making refonns that would safeguard our democratic way of life. The reforms most necessary were: 1. A change of outlook —too many counties still thought in terms of the horse and dray days. 2. Urgent re-organisation of counties on the most efficient and effective basis. 3. Improvements in rural amenities to encourage people to live and work in the country and so overcome the drift to the towns. Counties must face the problem of providing as much as possible of the finances required from their own resources, concluded Mr Jones.