ELECTION OF LOCAL BODIES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIX, Issue 14683, 14 May 1908, Page 6

ELECTION OF LOCAL BODIES.

The Rangiora branch of the Farmers' Union has decided that, on account of the expense, it would be undesirable to give ratepayers the right of electing their representatives on Hospital Boards and Charitable Aid Boards. Under the present system the selection of these representatives is left to tho members of tho local bodies, who have been chosen, of course, for quite a different purpose and who often take little interest in the management of hospitals and the distribution of charitable aid. Considering all the circumstances, they have performed this part of their work fairly well. Wo have sometimos had occasion to find fault with tho methods of the local Charitable Aid Board, but wo have never doubted the earnestness and good intentions of the members. There can be no question, however, that a quicker general interest would be taken in this department of public work if the ratepayers were given the direct selection of their representatives. For ourselves, wo should like to see the franchise extended to the parliamentary roll, which would givo every man and woman in the community a vote; but the extension to the ratepayers' roll would be a step in tho right direction, and wo hope that at tho approaching conference tho Farmers' Union will not endorse tho decision of its Rangiora branch. It would \<- easy, -when the proposal was passing through Parliainnut. tn pro-

vide that the election should be held when some other election was taking place, and in this way the expense would be reduced to a trifling amount. But even if each local body had to spend £3O or £4O every second year upon a hotter system of representation the ratepayers would soon realise that the money was very well invested.