LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 72, 18 December 1880, Page 4

LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT.

TO THE EDITOR 07 THE STAB.

Sib, — The question of road hoards v. counties is now attaining such a prominent position in local politics that sooner orlAteyfcke pnhnoof this district whi he asked to decide upon the respective merits of both forms of government, with the view of the adoption of that which is most suitable for the administration of local affairs, to the exclusion of the other. At the last meeting of the Patea County Counoil the matter was, I perceive, brought under disonssion, the administrative expenses of the several road boards and of the counoii, in proportion to their several revenues, being taken as a basis of comparison. I am far from being of opinion that this affords a sufficient test of so important a question, though satisfied that the council would appear at a considerable disadvantage in any fair investigation on this head. The administrative expenses of the council, aR stated *by the chairman, were 10 per cent, of the revenue, whilst those of the board, with the exception of one which was set down at 7£, wete placed at a nmeb higher percentage. By the statement of receipts and expenditure of the council during the last four years (minus the current quarter), which appeared in your issue of the Ist instant, it is evident that the chairman has proceeded upon a deceptive and totally U&y&li&bta h&sis m estimating the percentage costs of administration of the council at least. These costs, so far as they can be made out from the schedule of expenditure, are made up by the following items: — Elections, £4.Q; do., £10; furniture, £111 ; maps, £16 ; salaries, JIO3S; ©bftimau, J4D; councillors^ £179 ; stamps, i! 81;8 1; printing, &c, £293 ; legal, £67 ; clerk, £15 ; miscellaneous, £274 ; advertising, £73 ; salaries, £718 ; miscellaneous, £419; salaries, £599; printing, £5; which amount to a total of £8971. By these figures I find myself on the track of the chairman's calculationß, as they are ID per cent. of the gross amount, £40,986, set down under the beading of expenditure and of receipts. But it has to be seen how this sum is made up, deducting therefrom items ' which do not constitute actual revenue or expenditure, sums which have been merely passed through the counoii as

through tbe hands of trustees to other bodies for administration, and other items which have merely been operated on clerically. Subject to this process of weeding, the expenditure is reduced to £21,772, which places the administrative expense at nearly 19 per cent, of this 1 amount. The deductions are : — The General Government expenditure upon Mountain road, including its own departmental, survey, and other expenses, and of which the council have been merely trustees, £9730 ; Government account, £8246 j Hawera Institute, £50; Hawera Eoad Board, £300 ; provincial liabilities, £64 ; transferred to Government account, £388 ; and deferred land payments, £436. The abstraction of these items in to to may be disputed — some allowance should be made. Possibly; but on the other hand there are bulk sums down to contracts, £10.659; day labor, £3866 ; which, no doubt include tbe cost of supervision by overseers, though it does not appear ; also, hospital vote, £700, which must include hospital salaries. Again, there are deposits, which are unreliable as to amount, as any sum in that shape may be evolved from any smaller sum by frequent entry and transfer, re-entry, &c, Cash in hand, for instance, also, I am not assured about, as it may be bo manipulated as to appear to have been expended, where it may be diverted to a different purpose — perhaps to do duty in the next | statement under the heading of receipts. ] On the whole, it is possible I am not far ' out in the above estimate — quite certain th: 1 1 am nearer the mark than the percentage stated by the county chairman. But a fairer method of arriving at the relative costs of administration, on the part of both bodies, is that of ascertaining what proportion the costs of administration bear to the gross amount expended upon the actual objects of administration. Elections, furniture, maps, salaries, councillors, stamps, printing, legal, advertising, and miscellaneous do not constitute the objects, nor any part of the objects or purposes, of administration. They are merely necessary means to these purposes ; and upon the extent to which the purposes are effected, comparatively, with the expense involved in the means thereto, depend success or failure in a financial sense. Adopting this basis, I think the result must be decidedly in favor of the road boards. But I have dwelt upon this phase of the question at greater length than I had intended. I hope, however, to return to it again on another occasion. —Yours, &c, R. O'Donovan. Te Ngaire, Dec. 11, 1880.