LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 255, 14 October 1911, Page 5

LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL.

MEASURE DRAFTED BUT I POSTPONED. . WORK FOR A WHOLE SESSION. i [BY TEI.KCK.VPII -SPECIAL.] (Own Correspondent.) I Wellington. Oct. 13. i “Will you circulate the Local Goi vernment Bill this session ?" asked i Mr. Pearce of the Prime Minister in • the House yesterday afternoon. i "I don’t intend to circulate the | Bill until after the elections.” said | Sir Joseph Ward in reply. "The > Bill.” he added. Tail into nearly 500 ■ clauses, it wa.- a very important Bill, ' a very difficult Bill, and he believed t it would take a session to itself. ■ A member: Is it drafted .’ ! "Yes.” said Sir Joseph. He felt i perfectly sure that when the Bill was circulated the repre-» iitnt've; of the : local bodies would need to give it i careful consideration, and in all proj Lability they would require to meet | in some centre, probably Wellington. ! to go into the whole matter, and he * repeated that he believed it would ■ take a whole -.e-.-ii-n to deal with the jm< asure. At the pre-wnt iiiniurnt he i did not think it was desirable that ’ they should attempt to div, rt public 1 opinion from the burning questions | already before them by circulating i a measure which it would not be posI sible for members to consider before I the General Election. Tin* measure | was a far-reaching one and very com ! prchetisive. and «dt<>nld be dealt with i calmly and dispassionately. bot h by Imt nilit rs of Parliament and itieiiiI brrs of local bodies, free from the I turmoil of the Gt neral Elections, 'and for that rtason In* prop.>-i*n to ' wait until the elections were over !><■- I ft-re circulating the Bill anil to have jit introduced nt xt «t s--ii>ii. Local I government in New ZeaLtml requires Ito he carried out upon an entirely ; rlifft rent li:i-i- to anything we had ■ eonteniplated tip to now if it i- [ going to be made as t fTeetive as was | euiitt nipiated by the Bill. After I carefully considt ring the whole mat- | ter he was pt rsnadetl that the right | thing to thi was to circulate it after the tlectiims. uli.n t Pit* country i would be fret* from Patli.anien.ary I strife, with .a view to having a comjpn ltrn«ive sy-te m of local govern- ! m< nt placed up on the Stature Book.