Local Body Mergers

Northern Advocate, 10 August 1938, Page 4

Local Body Mergers

THE New Zealand Counties’ Association, in giving evidence on the Local Governments Amalgamation Schemes Bill at Wellington yesterday, rightly pointed out some of the serious dangers and disadvantages attendant on hasty and ill-consider-ed mergers of local bodies. As a general principle, tyhe association is not opposed to amalgamation of counties, and, indeed, it admits the existence of localities where larger administrative areas can advantageously be created; but it does sound a note of alarm at the increasing tendency towards centralisation in the control of local affairs, and it sets forth quite plainly its objection to any amalgamations where policy and ideas cannot be harmoniously unified. One sentence in the association’s evidence is of particular interest. It says: “A certain amount of amalgamation could be carried out with advantage to the Dominion but not to the wide extent suggested in the Bill. ’ ’ The precise nature of the Government’s proposals has not been revealed yet to the general public, and it is not known what local bodies will be affected. Prom the tenor of the above comment, it seems that something comprehensive is planned. We have pointed out before that the danger of grouping local bodies in larger areas lies to a great extent in the risk that intimate contact with local problems may be lost. It may seem ridiculous that county councillors should concern themselves with matters of sm'all detail, but their close knowledge of such problems, each of which may be of peculiar importance to some resident or ratepayer, is what gives the local body system its strength. Any move to deprive the public of that conscientious and painstaking service should be resisted, for the greater efficiency aimed at by the amalgamations might prove in-the long run to be merely an illusion.