Critical View Of State Attitude To County Control

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22971, 14 June 1949, Page 5

Critical View Of State Attitude To County Control

(P.A.) DUNEDIN, June 13. The opinion that local government was on trial in some respects and that it did not get all the support it deserved at times from the Government was offered by Mr. W. G. Belton, president of the New Zealand Counties’ Association, when he officially opened the conference of the Institute of County Engineers in Dunedin today. In their work, said Mr. Belton, engineers had to come into contact with Government departments and county officers and had to work together as a team. Closer co-operation between the various sections of administration in the counties, he added, would add to the strength of the counties’ organisation and be substantially to the advantage of the country. Policy of Socialism

The counties, said Mr Belton, should stick together to widen their sphere of influence. There were some counties in which certain works were done by Government departments and he thought this was wrong, as it was merely playing into the hands of the departments, many of which were anxious to take over as much as possible.

Anything that restricted the activities of civil servants would be turned down, said Mr. Belton. This was apparently a policy of socialism and the counties would have to co-operate against it. ' Some of the county councils themselves needed shaking up, added Mr. Belton- Some of the smaller ones should be absorbed and stronger units should be built up. ' ■< Mr. W. G. Macky, chairman of the institute, said the institute had as its object the furtherance of county government.