LOCAL BODIES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 11 July 1923, Page 7

LOCAL BODIES.

* SPECIAL LEGISLATION. REFORM IN METHODS. (By Telegraph.—Special to the Star.) WELLINGTON, July 10.' Every year Parliament is required during the last few days of the session to pass a Local Bodies Empowering Bill, usually containing hundreds of clauses validating proposals relating to land and correcting irregularities. In many cases it has been pointed out that the clauses in this Bill are complete Bills in themselves and should go through, the proper formula, which would enable the persons interested to understand what is proposed. This "Washing-Up Bill has been so abused that the Government in its Local Legislation Bill, to be introduced and read a first time to-day, proposes to enforse a procedure under which a local authority desiring specific empowering legislation is required to submit its proposals in concrete form to the Minister for Internal Af- ' fairs for consideration by the Government. No such proposal may bo submitted after the expiration of two months from the commencement of a session. If the Minister is satisfied that the proposal is one which should properly be submitted to Parliament, he publishes in the Gazette a notice to that effect, together with a copy of the clause, thus enabling all persons locally ; interested in the proposed legislation to ' become acquainted with the proposals ' for a sufficient time before Parliament deals with the subject; also enabling' objectors to present any objections for I consideration by a committee of Parliament. A further object is to enable members, of Parliament or any special j committee appointed by either House to deal with local legislation and to have ; tho- exact details of the r>^oposed le<ris- ' latiou in their hands. Due provision i is thus made for full consideration by ; the departments of the Government and for full notice to the public before Par- ' hament is called uoon to consider the advisability or otherwise of- passing legislation. i